


In The Drift

by LightBloom



Category: Kingdom Hearts, Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-26
Updated: 2013-11-05
Packaged: 2017-12-24 17:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 33,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/942787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightBloom/pseuds/LightBloom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jaeger pilots are humanities last hope for survival against the Kaiju. Not everyone who gets in the program is cut out for the work and even less survive the first few fights. The battles are equal for now but time and resources are running out fast. The war has to end and the soldiers are running out of steam. Roxas, Xion and everyone else are just trying to bring an end to the monsters that tore apart their lives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For a better mental image:  
> The first attack was 2013—it’s been 12 years since then. The Kaiju are coming at a slower rate than in canon version, but flux between a single to double appearance. In the year 2025 there is a greater advance in Jaeger technology (up to Mark 6’s) but at the same time, there is still no advance in how to close the breach. 
> 
> It’s currently early November. 
> 
> *The original Jaegers (film) are and will be mentioned frequently but more than likely never getting written in.

The sun was just barely illuminating his picture littered walls at this hour but he was already wide awake—or rather, he had never gone to bed at all. He was too nervous, too excited. Flipping through the water damaged notebook, he barely glanced at the old pictures that had been stapled and taped into the pages. One hour until he would be required to actually leave his room, two hours until the final testing events that he had already passed but was required to watch…three hours until he would receive the orders that would determine the rest of his life.

Something knotted painfully in his stomach and he forced himself to concentrate on the notebook. A different discomfort filled him when he spotted the old postcard, edges brown with age. The Golden Gates were beautiful in memory and photograph. That was the only way he would ever see it again was if he dreamed about it. Shutting the notebook, he leaned back and glanced at the steel plate that distinguished his military issued bunk bed from the rest. A thin copy of his name was scratched onto the plate, _Roxas Hart_.

He’d gotten crap about the name at first, even now that he was a Ranger and about to become a pilot but no one was too fond of making fun of someone with a short temper and a good roundhouse kick. Above him was some other poor cadet, still in training and obviously not ready considering how quick he fell asleep after a few hours of practice. Two hours of physical training was nothing.

His sister would be in the women’s quarters; she was probably still asleep. She slept through her nerves. He stayed up because of them. His bunkmate snored loudly, rolling to his left heavily before sighing back into sleep. Roxas contemplated giving the creaky mattress a good kick but he restrained himself; new recruits couldn’t imagine how hard the program was. They came in expecting hell and came out knowing the program was purgatory while the Kaiju were what eventually dragged you to hell. At least, that was what an older Ranger had told him his very first day.

The analog clock blinked forward in time. Sitting up, he closed the notebook and slid it unto the small duffel bag next to his bed. Might was well shower and get some breakfast. There would be nothing to do until the testing events and he didn’t want to spend most of that time reminiscing about a hometown he would never see again.

 

* * *

 

Xion was already waiting for him at the mess hall an empty tray set next to her on the table. She smiled faintly, pushing the metal tray towards him as he approached. “Morning Ranger,” she greeted pleasantly, the dark circles under her eyes the only sign of her long night. “Ready to watch the matches?”

“Morning Ranger,” he responded back, sitting across from her and staring down at the plate. “I’m not looking forward to it but orders are orders I guess. Are the hash browns any good?”

“As good as you can get out here on this side of the coast. You know how bad farming has gotten with the Kaiju blue spreading and the toxic waste ruining all the crops. And it’s not just orders, we should get to know the people we’ll be living and fighting with from now on.”

“I just don’t understand why we need to go if we’re already Drift Compatible. We might not even get sent to the same Dome as the others and if we do, we’ll have the trip to talk. There’s no logical reason for us to be there.”

“Maybe they want to know who we’ll be compatible with in case of an emergency.” Xion began slowly but she cut off as Roxas’ gaze snapped towards her. 

“Don’t talk like that. We’re going in this together and we’re going to leave together, alright?” He pointed directly at her with the hash brown spoon before piling on a fair serving onto his plate. The few others in the mess hall were seated far from them and while the conversations carried, they were thankfully respecting the privacy of their discussion. “Just don’t talk like that. We’re going to get our Jaeger, take out a few Kaiju, live through it all, and hope that when we stop piloting, the Kaiju stop coming.”

Xion nodded seriously, picking at her bland scrambled eggs. “Where do you think they’ll send us?” She asked hesitantly, a smile forming on her features. “I heard they’ve made a couple of new Mark Six’s. I don’t know if we’ll get them since we’re new but it’d be pretty cool to run one of the newer Jaegers.”

“I heard rumors that we might get sent to somewhere north but I’m kinda hoping we’ll get sent somewhere warm.” Roxas shivered at the thought of being stationed in Russia or Alaska. “I’d give anything to be stationed in Australia, even if it’s got all those awful bugs and animals.”

“I really think those are the least of our problems right now Roxas.”

 

* * *

  
Roxas yawned quietly in the corner, Xion leaning against his shoulder while she watched the fights in silence. They were determining the compatibility of a few candidates, none of which he had ever met. The most interesting was a trio in the corner, but they weren’t part of the candidates. They were there practicing—a strange rag tag group but they had some of the best Drift compatibility simulations scores around. If they had one flaw it was that they each had different fighting styles. Roxas turned his attention to the group in the middle of the huge training room.

“She doesn’t seem like she would be a prime candidate or an instructor.” He whispered, blowing some of Xion’s black cropped hair out of his face. He motioned vaguely towards the small blonde in the middle of the room. She paced the mats patiently, barely looking up as she took notes vigorously. “Why is she here?”

“She’s neither; she’s monitoring the fight Roxas. You would know if you were paying attention.” Xion sighed. “We’re supposed to be watching.”

“That’s why you’re here,” he teased. “Besides, we’ll be mind-melding from now on so everything you see about them I’ll find out later.”

“I don’t think that our Marshal would be alright with that. And besides, if he ever asks, he’ll be looking for your opinions, not a reiteration of mine.”

“I think I would prefer to sleep.”

Xion smiled, straightening up as one of the candidates slammed against the floor. “Then you should have slept last night, like I did.”

“Not everyone falls asleep as easy as you Xion.” Roxas smiled, reaching up to nudge her off his shoulder. The tiny blonde girl called out the score, her gentle voice echoing oddly in the large room. Nothing to be impressed by—they weren’t drift compatible, so nothing would be arranged. “How long are these things supposed to last?”

“Until we find one more group who is drift compatible—she’ll announce it when there’s been a decision.” Xion adjusted the collar to her turtleneck, shivering as she curled up closer to her brother. She really hoped they wouldn’t be going somewhere cold. “There are other people watching in the corner but she’s supposed to make the final decision.”

“No offense to her but she really doesn’t look all that important.” Roxas watched her more closely. She was a tiny thing in the midst of all the Ranger trainees, and looked even younger wrapped in a cream dress with leg warmers and a parka in the same exact color. “I would have thought she was a technician at least, not an instructor.”

“I’m not sure what she does but she must be important so please pay attention.” Xion sighed. “Besides, I’m just as small as she is and I’m your co-pilot. Why can’t she be just as important?”

“That’s not what I meant—“

“We’ve reached a decision!” called out the young girl in the ring, pressing her tablet into her parka wrapped chest. “Ranger Strife will be reporting to the helipad in thirty, along with all other determined Jaeger pilots. The copter will be leaving with or without Jaeger pilots. All candidates who participated in battle must remain so that the final decision can be announced. Any other Rangers who have not found a co-pilot must remain here until a decision is made. Dismissed.”

“She certainly sounds like she’s been around these parts for a while, even with the accent,” Roxas muttered, wriggling out of Xion’s clinging reach. “And you need to start bringing your own jacket; I’m not your personal heater. I told you to buy a parka before ship date. I’m pretty sure that girl is coming on the trip with us and if her parka is any sign of the weather, it’ll probably be freezing.”

“She could just be a chronically cold person like me, it’s not that uncommon.” Xion huffed, brushing past him and into the crowd. “But did you catch that accent? She’s not from the States, that’s for sure. Where do you think she’s from?”

“Sounds faintly French,” he admitted, toying with a few accents he’d been able to recognize from the last few years. People from all around the world came to train at the smaller domes, so it got easier to pick up the accents with time (on some occasions, learn a new language) but not all of them were so easy. “Maybe she’s from Canada? They still speak French in Quebec, right?”

People were swimming around her but even buried under the sea of taller recruits Roxas could still pick out his sister shaking her head in the crowd. “I don’t understand why you don’t just ask. It’s not like guessing it right would get you a prize. I’ll see you at the helipad in a twenty, alright? I need to finish packing.”

He nodded, fully aware that she had twice the belongings he did and with her meticulous packing skills, she would be a while. “I’ll see you there.” Roxas glanced at the analog clock drilled over the doorway. He had nothing left to pack; he would just kill time walking the halls at a very slow pace. There was no reason to rush; he would have the entire flight to sleep off the hours he’d missed overnight.

 

* * *

 

“Hold the copter!”

Roxas scowled, burying his face into his notebook for the second time that morning. As it turned out, it was the girl from that morning who’d announced the pilots. Bundled in her warm parka and overflowing with stacks of files, she clambered onto the helicopter just before the co-pilot shut the door. Breathing a sigh of relief, she smiled brightly at the siblings and remaining Rangers. “Thank you. Forgive me; I got a last minute request to bring a hardcopy of these blueprints with us. I hope I didn’t keep everyone waiting too long.”

“Not at all,” Xion reassured gently, reaching over to take a few of the bulging folders from her. “You are in charge, after all, correct?”

Blushing bright pink to the roots of her golden hair, the girl turned to look at her tablet instead. They jostled against one another as the helicopter took off, masking Xion’s elbow shoveling its way into Roxas’s side.

He sighed quietly. “Would you like help with those?” he offered weakly, closing his notebook. He much preferred silence during flights; it gave less room for air sickness. Xion on the other hand, smiled. She liked getting to know the people around her during trips. Her only travelling ailments were boredom and hunger.

“Oh no, I’m fine! I need to read most of these before we land anyways.” She smiled. “I don’t believe we’ve met? My name is Naminé Rosemont, I’m an analyst and technician in the Shatter domes. I came from Quebec, Canada.”

“Roxas and Xion Hart,” Roxas mumbled, forcing his eyes to focus on Naminé. “Brother and sister, relocated from what we call nuclear wastelands now.”

Naminé went wide eyed, clutching her folders with such strength, the pile bent towards her in a sharp arc. “You’re from one of the first Kaiju attack coastlines? What part—how old were you—where were you relocated to?” She shot off like a rocket, her timid voice gaining confidence with each question.

Xion took over, catching Roxas’ unhappy expression from the corner of her eye. “We were from San Francisco. We were still pretty young—just kids. We got lucky and escaped most of it since we were further inland but got relocated to Arizona for a few years. We graduated high school, took up Ranger training and here we are.”

“You’re both still very young, though,” Naminé mentioned quietly, clearly deep in thought. “You can’t be older than 20.”

“She’s twenty and I’m twenty-two.” Roxas interrupted. “Not that you’re one to talk. You look even younger, if I’m not being too rude.” He was being rude. Not that it seemed like Naminé cared much about regulations or military formalities.

Naminé laughed. “Not at all; I’m actually older than both of you. I’m twenty-five.”

“Bullshit,” said one of the other Rangers in the tiny transport before he could stop himself, flushing pink. Roxas recognized him as Strife—the older stern blond who’d been looking for a co-pilot this morning. He was an older recruit, someone who’d either entered the program late or changed branch when the attacks began increasing. His partner, different male with a scar running down between his eyebrows, frowned. “You can’t be that old.”

Namine only smiled, pardoning the lack of formalities. “It’s alright; I know I look pretty young. If it helps, my sister looks older but she’s younger than me.”

“How old is your sister?” voiced Strife—his first name escaped Roxas at the moment—only to be interrupted by the redheaded girl sitting across from him.

“I’m nineteen,” she answered honestly, flashing them a bright smile. The boys sitting on either side of her grinned, the shortest laughing quietly. “Kairi Rosemont. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

Roxas recognized them almost immediately as the trio practicing in the gym—Kairi had been the one who’d scored the most points, despite her technique not being the most clean out of the three. Judging by the bruise forming under one of the jawlines next to hers, she was probably a lot quicker and stronger than she first appeared.

“I’m Sora Ishizaki,” piped up the brunet beside her, waving widely. “He’s Riku Kurata—we were from the West Coast but our parents relocated here in Michigan before the Kaiju attacks.”

Riku merely nodded quietly, looking out the window. He didn’t seem to care much for their conversation. Xion however, did. “You guys are slated to be Drifting all together, right? Like the Crimson Typhoon? Did you guys know each other before—I thought Kairi and Namine were from Quebec?”

“Our parents are divorced,” Kairi admitted calmly. “I moved out to the States with my father when we were really young, around the time Sora and Riku moved up to Michigan. We’ve been friends ever since then.”

“You must have a pretty strong bond then.” Everyone turned to the stoic scarred male in the corner. This was the first time anyone had heard him talk—at all. He was easily spotted in the halls before, as a returning retired pilot but he hadn’t spoken a word to anyone since his arrival. Roxas himself had just assumed the man to be mute. “Not many people can come in and be drift compatible based on a friendship; least of all, three friends. Drifting is where most friends find out that they weren’t as close as they first thought. It’s usually what causes us to lose so many new recruits.”

“We grew up together,” Riku said, glancing at the group in feint surprise before looking out the window again. They were flying over some large snowed mountains—Roxas wasn’t sure if they were over a different state or entering Canada. “There’s really very little we don’t know about each other or didn’t live through together.”

“Must be nice, having such close friends in these times,” Strife muttered, unconsciously reaching to touch a pink ribbon knotted tightly around a key ring that hung loosely from his belt loop. A variety of things were attached around the steel key ring, the satin ribbon standing out against the other items.

“You’re Cloud, right? Why are you guys in the Jaeger program?” Sora asked naively. Roxas smiled weakly. That was right. He was Cloud, one of the oldest in the Ranger training program. Leaning forward, Sora stretched out in the helicopter without a care in the world. He didn’t seem to mind invading possible personal space.

“Sora—“Riku began in a warning tone. Cloud shrugged, waving him off.

“I’m looking for someone,” he admitted quietly. “I’ve been looking for a long time, and this is one of the few ways I can search freely. There are things accessible to a Ranger that isn’t to the public. What about you Squall?”

The attention turned to the scar faced male in the other corner of the helicopter. Squall frowned. “Squall Leonhart—please just call me Leon. And I’m also looking for someone.”

That was probably the most he would speak the whole ride, Roxas mused. He’d spotted Squall—err, Leon—around before and he was a man of few words. Not that Cloud was much different. Maybe that was why they were Drift Compatible. There were some people who just didn’t carry anything into the Drift. He cleared his throat.

“We’re in the program because we’ve got nothing else to fall back on.” Roxas stated calmly, closing his eyes to ignore the movement of the flight. The hum of the helicopter was calming. His head was beginning to hurt and the oncoming warning of nausea was swirling in his stomach. “There’s really nothing else to it. It’s either this or construction, I guess. Not much to work nowadays, you know? What about you three?”

The three friends looked at each other, a silent conversation taking place in a matter of seconds before Kairi spoke. “These boys are like brothers; they don’t go anywhere without the each other. I couldn’t let them go into Ranger training without me.”

The way she spoke, it was obvious that was all she would be disclosing about their personal situation. Naminé on the other hand, smiled. “I would just like to be of some help. I wouldn’t be much of a pilot unfortunately, but I am content with running simulations, taking new recruits to the Shatter domes and helping the research divisions with anything they need.”

Roxas leaned over and plopped into Xion’s backpack covered lap unceremoniously. He groaned quietly and buried his face into the backpack, exhaling deeply. Xion patted him on the head supportively.

“Is he alright?” Naminé asked worriedly.

“He’s fine, just sleep deprived and a little airsick. He won’t actually get sick, as long as he gets some sleep.”

“What kind of pilot gets motion sickness,” Riku mumbled into his palm.

“Shuddup. It’s not the same,” Roxas groaned, turning his head in towards Xion instead.

“Should we stop talking or…”

“He can sleep through anything,” Xion assured, gently pushing back his hair soothingly. “You were talking about the research division?”

Roxas blocked them out, letting the sound of the whirling blades and feeling of Xion’s soft warm hand over his hair sooth him to sleep. This would probably be the last peaceful sleep he would have in a while; he might as well enjoy it.

 

* * *

 

“Roxas, wake up. We stopped. We’re getting off here.”

His vision was blurry as he sat up, barely able to distinguish figures exiting the helicopter. He shivered involuntarily, blinking furiously to clear the sleep from his eyes. Snow was falling quietly all around them, and the sound of zippers being pulled closed filled the small transport. “Where are we?” he mumbled, closing his own jacket in his sleepy stupor.

“On the coast of Canada, right above what’s left of Vancouver,” Xion whispered. “Naminé told us on the way here; we’re getting off with Kairi, Riku, and Sora.”

“What about Leon and Cloud?” he muttered sleepily.

“They’ll be stopping to switch helicopters—I think they’re being sent up to Alaska. Or Russia. I’m not sure, I didn’t ask.” Xion nudged him, taking his bag and swinging it over her own backpack as she jumped out of the helicopter. “Hurry up. We get an hour to freshen up and then we need to suit up.”

He straightened up almost instantly, jumping out after her. “Wait—suit up? Already?”

“They’re four hours behind us, remember? This is oh six hundred for them—good morning again, sunshine.” She smiled. “We’re getting our Jaeger in an hour.”

“A-Are you serious?” Roxas hurried behind her. Even walking, she always managed to stay at least two steps ahead of him. He’d never liked that. She was abnormally quick and nimble for someone so small. “Wait Xion—what’s the hurry? Why are we suiting up so early? Was there a breach?”

“No, they just want to test the neural handshake,” Xion explained calmly, keeping up her pace towards the dome. The heat from inside was seeping out with the doors wide open for their arrival and she felt grateful for the warmth. The first thing she was going to do after the neural handshake was take a quick leave to buy a thick warm parka. “Come on, I want to be presentable and unpack before we head down.”

“Xion, what can you possibly need to do in order to look presentable? Your hair is so short you don’t need to brush it all the time and you’re still clean from your shower this morning. If anyone needs a hairbrush, it’s me.”

“You have chronic bedhead, you don’t count.”

He grinned, nodding towards Riku as he entered the elevator that would take them down to their respective floors. Riku smirked. “So you do smile,” he mused. “I thought your face was just permanently stuck at a scowl.”

Roxas ignored him. “Are we bunking together?”

“All Jaeger pilots share living quarters with their respective partner—or partners,” Naminé sounded off. It looked like her formalities and regulations were only dismissed in private. Now that they were in the Shatter dome, she stood with authority and an air of importance. She was a completely different person in and out of the dome. “You’ll all be on the same floor—I apologize about the small room for you three. We only recently got the technology on a three pilot Jaeger, so we aren’t quite prepared to have a room that fits three people. You’ll have two beds, one bunked and another single. If you need any special arrangements, we will do our best to accommodate you. Any questions?”

“Will you be around?” Roxas asked, noting her bundles and bundles of folders already stacked into her arms again. She nodded.

“I’ve been assigned to oversee the repairs, additions, and activities that go one with your Jaegers. If you require anything outside of that, I’ll be on the research floor. It’s one floor above yours.” The elevator doors opened. She placed a set of keys in everyone’s hands, motioning for them to get off the lift. “Your room number is engraved on the key and you’ll find them down the hall and to your right. You’ll be right across from each other so get to know one another or not, if you so please. I will see you at oh seven hundred, suited up and ready to go.”

The doors closed right as Kairi took the last step off the lift. Giving one last wave at Naminé, she turned to face the rest of the team. “She’s so professional around here,” she said proudly, wrapping her arms around her friends. “Well, is everyone ready to unlock the rooms we’ll be living in for the rest of our lives?”

Sora laughed, beginning their march down the hall. “Why not?”

Roxas stared at them awkwardly, edging closer to his sister. Their enthusiasm for their morbid work was concerning. It was almost like they didn’t seem to take their work seriously—er, at least two out of the three didn’t seem like that. Riku seemed to read his thoughts.

“We know what we’re here for,” Riku spoke confidently as they marched past. “Don’t mistake their optimism for naivety. We’ll see you in the Dome in a bit.”

Xion waited until they left to glare up at her brother. “Could you be more obvious? If you don’t like them, at least try not to be conspicuous,” she sighed.

“It’s not that I don’t like them,” He insisted, taking her hand and leading her down the hall. “I just don’t understand where they get the energy or the enthusiasm. I mean, I’m glad we got through the training but I’m still nervous. We’re going against skyscraper sized monsters and the only thing protecting us is a suit of metal and wire that we control and can fail at any given moment if we aren’t ready. I don’t understand how they’re going into this so happy.”

“Not sure either.” Xion shrugged, fingering her set of keys in the palm of her hand. A thick metal door with the number one stamped onto it matched the engraving on their keys. “If more pilots went into the program like that, we’d probably have more going for us.”

“Or more broken pilots,” Roxas muttered under his breath as she unlocked the door. The heavy door creaked as she pushed it open, revealing the fresh unheated room and its metal furniture. A long desk with two chairs and a steel bunk bed met them, their boots clinking heavily against the metal floor. “Homely.”

“Just like old times, huh Roxas?” Xion teased. “It’s like we never left the training dome.”

He laughed quietly. “Yeah, it’s basically the same stuff just shoved into a smaller room.”

She tossed her stuff onto the top bunk, making sure to drop his small duffel onto the lower bed. “I’m going to hit the showers,” she called out, ripping off her turtleneck sweater and kicking off her boots. “I’ll be out in five.”

“Did you mean in five minutes or five minutes to seven?”

“Shut up Roxas.”

 

* * *

 

“Do you like her?” Naminé called out from the balcony as the siblings walked onto the catwalk. “A brand new, Mark 6, straight out of the kitchen. She’s specialized with dual wielding swords and a state of the art plasma canon. She’s all yours after the primary neural handshake.”

They didn’t answer, staring up that the Jaeger in awe. Naminé laughed. “She’s brand new so no one’s named her—it’s the privilege and honor of the pilots to name their Jaeger after all. I can see you two are already suited up.”

Roxas nodded, still stunned into silence. Their Jaeger was thinner than the ones he’d seen on TV before, clearly made for agility and flexibility. Black and silver, the hexagon filled glass that covered the eye surface reflected off a faded grey under the dome lights. Naminé continued as if they were actually verbally participating in the conversation while she stepped down the spiraling staircase.

“She’s built to be fast—not as fast as that Jaeger they like to build in Sydney but definitely quick. She might not take much a hit well but if everything syncs up well, then you should be able to dodge everything without a problem. You two did have the best reaction times in the training division. I’d be careful though; she’s fast but doesn’t carry a lot of weight because of it. If you’re going in for a close kill hit without the swords, you’ll need to keep a firm hold. She can’t handle too much stress.”

“Shouldn’t we be prepped for that?” Xion asked, snapping out of her reverie.

“We’re not too worried for now. Since we’re just checking the basics right now, we’ll add some reinforcements as time goes on—you both were exceptionally skilled at taking down larger foes in regular combat. We expect no less here in a Jaeger. It’ll hold up fine in battle while we work out the final blueprints.”

“Yes ma’am,” they sounded off together. Roxas had to admit it felt strange, speaking so formally to someone who’d been so casual with them just a few hours ago. Naminé motioned for them to step up into the lift nearby.

“Good luck,” she said with a smile, turning back to her tablet.

“Thanks,” Roxas mumbled, following Xion into the lift. The doors closed. He let out a sigh of relief. Xion smiled.

“Nervous?”

“Highly.”

“I am too.”

“Do you really think we’re ready for this?” Roxas asked out loud. He honestly hadn’t expected to be performing a neural handshake for at least another day. He looked at his sister, who was fidgeting in her matching black and silver suit. The light reflected off the helmet in her hands.

“Probably not,” Xion admitted weakly. “But it’s about as ready as we’ll ever be.”

Silence fell between them, the sound of the lift the only noise filling the stuffy room.

“Hey, Roxas?”

“Yeah?”

“…this suit is really uncomfortable.”

Roxas burst out laughing, the doors opening and revealing the tech team still at the head of the Jaeger. They stared as they passed by, Roxas laughing like a maniac while they walked into the machine’s head. He wasn’t entirely sure if it had been that funny or if he was laughing so hard because he was that nervous. With a little help from the crew to plug in, his laugh managed to die down enough for him to speak. “Hey, Xion?”

“Yes Roxas?”

“Why do you think they have the head all the way up here? I don’t think that Jaegers are _that_ tall…”

“To do maintenance on it?” Xion shrugged, the cords attached to her wriggling in the air slightly. Sometime while he was laughing, she’d finished placing her helmet on. It looked slightly too large. “I’m not sure, ask the technician.”

“I would but they left—“

‘ _This is Naminé Rosemont, sounding in. Roxas and Xion Hart, please copy.’_

They exchanged looks, confused. “This is Roxas and Xion Hart, we copy. We are plugged in and ready to go.” Roxas sounded off, still lost. Why did they need to signal for a start off? Wasn’t Naminé simply supposed to tell them they were to start?

‘ _Copy that! Technician Rosemont to station, I am on the floor and we are ready to commence the drop.’_

Roxas felt his heart drop to his stomach. What drop? No one ever mentioned a drop. Xion looked at him with what felt like laughter and worry. “I thought we were attached to the body already!” Roxas hissed, listening to Naminé finish clearing a few things with the station. “I thought that was why we took the elevator!”

“I guess not,” Xion said nervously.

_‘Commence drop in three-two-one—‘_

Roxas fought the urge to make a noise, closing his eyes as the Jaeger head began dropping, the cables and wheels that prevented it from freefalling squealing as they went down. It felt like he’d fallen off the side of a plane, even strapped into the suit and the machine. Xion squeaked loudly beside him, eyes wide in surprise. It was over sooner than he expected, but it didn’t reduce the turmoil in his stomach when the head connected with the rest of the Jaeger, the inside of the machine swinging and swaying as it rotated and locked into place.

‘ _Roxas—is everything alright in there? We’re reading higher than normal elevations in your heart rate.’_

“I think I might puke,” Roxas muttered weakly, eyes still closed as he concentrated breathing deep through his nose. Vertigo was not his friend. 

“I would have to agree with you there,” Xion mumbled back. “Not the most fun carnival ride but I would really have to advise against throwing up on your first day and in your helmet.”

_‘Agreed. Can you reorient yourself Roxas?’_

“Give me a moment,” Roxas called back, taking one last deep breath. The world was beginning to stop swaying. “Alright. I think I’m good. What’s next?”

_‘Are you sure you’ll be alright because we can wait. Remember that all your current thoughts and sensations are going to be shared with that neural handshake and the last thing we want is two Rangers yaking into their helmets—‘_

“Please continue with the protocols.”

_‘One moment then—is Cerberus online?’_

Roxas glanced over at Xion, who in turn shrugged just as a familiar voice crackled through the transmission feed. ‘ _This is Cerberus, and we’re ready to go!’_ sounded off Sora, painfully cheerful even through the crackling feed.

Xion grinned. “Sora, is that really you?” She asked, finger still holding down the button that allowed their microphones to share conversations. “Did you guys name your Jaeger already?”

_‘Hi Xion—_ Sora was horrible with military name regulations it seemed— _Riku came up with the names, isn’t it great? Cerberus is our main name but if I get to be in charge of the decisions, it’s Mirage Cerberus. If Kairi is in charge then it’s Crowned Cerberus and if Riku is in control we’re Nightmare Cerberus! I think the triple name is a good idea, don’t you?’_

_‘Sora, Kairi was the one who came up with the other halves; don’t give me all the credit.’_

_‘I don’t mind—we all share the Jaeger anyways.’_

Sora ignored them. _‘Have you guys named your Jaeger yet?’_

“Not yet,” Roxas answered back. He glanced at Xion, who shrugged in return. “I think we’ll just pick one after the neural handshake.”

_‘Let us know when you pick one!’_ Kairi interjected—there were annoyed sounds coming from the background. The microphone caught some of the argument between the other two boys before Kairi turned to enter their conversation.

_‘Sora it’s none of our business to ask questions like that—_

_‘But we’re going to be piloting around the same area, we should get to know each other more—‘_

_‘Sora has a point Riku, there’s nothing wrong with being a little amicable.’_

_‘It’s not being amicable that’s the problem—‘_

Naminé cleared her throat, the sound booming through their intercoms. _‘We’re ready to start the neural handshake. Remember to keep a clear mind and try not to take control or else we’re at risk of losing the connection all together, alright? Don’t get lost in the memories. Starting neural handshake in five-four-three-two—‘_

Roxas felt himself go rigid for a moment—the process was only about a minute long but with the blur of memories that was flooding through his mind, it felt like an hour. Beside him, Xion stood in a moment of shock too, eyes wide as they shared every living moment. Memories that Roxas had considered forgotten—thoughts Xion had shunned to the back of her mind—moments that they’d never shared—came thundering back between them all at once.

When he’d fallen down the rocky beach at the age of six—their mother had thought he was going to die from all the blood he’d been spilling on that grey cold sand. Head wounds always bled more than other wounds. The first time she’d gone to school, tiny among all the older kids but she held strong because he held her hand all the way to class. When they’d been playing outside on their bicycles and crashed into each other, the feeling of their parents comforting hands—Roxas wasn’t sure if this was his memory, her memory, or a shared one. Their thoughts were so intertwined at this point that he wasn’t exactly sure these were his thoughts to begin with.

He took a deep breath and Xion could feel his chest rise in return, the air filling his lungs and leave them feeling alive. He could feel every beat of her heart, each pump that created the stream of warm blood in her—everything that made up their composition they could equally feel. Somewhere beyond the veil of emotions, they heard a familiar voice speak through the intercom.

_‘Cerberus is online, neural handshake holding steady at 90%. Prime levels for a three-pilot team; as for Rangers Hart—‘_

Reaching up in a synchronized movement, they pressed the microphone to send their feed directly and only to Naminé. In the same manner, they spoke in terrifying harmony. Roxas felt the name roll off his tongue. He’d forgotten the name—the word that was still printed on the torn out poem in this notebook; their mother’s favorite poem.  A brief memory flitted through their melded minds, a soft voice whispering to them in bed, leaving behind a sore heartbeat. They weren’t sure how Naminé heard, considering the word had almost been whispered in the end.

“Aubade.”

Naminé seemed to understand immediately. _‘Aubade is online, neural handshake fluxing but holding above 60%. Waiting for stabilization.’_

Roxas shuddered, feeling Xion’s discomfort as if it were his own. She was uncomfortable with how they shared everything—thoughts were one thing, she hadn’t expected it meant emotions too. His thoughts flooded hers instantly, a feeling of empathy and comfort brushing away her fears almost immediately. His main concern was that she wasn’t permanently in a mental shock, that she weren’t stuck within the memories. They let go of the feed button.

“You want to take the lead?” he asked, despite knowing she would know what he was going to ask before he even opened his mouth to speak.

She nodded. It was strange, like being able to see an echo instead of just hear it. Relaxing and rolling her shoulders, she took a defensive stance, forearms obscuring her face and fists rolled inwards ready to deal out a blow if necessary. Beside her, Roxas mimicked the stance, feeling out the tensions in their muscles. She always took the defensive postures first, he mused. A flicker of irritation fleeted from her mind and through his, annoyed with his amusement. There was nothing wrong with being defensive, if he didn’t like it then he should have taken control. An open invitation, Roxas considered, but didn’t chance it. If they didn’t lose the connection all together then, Xion would be annoyed the rest of the afternoon.

Xion huffed loudly beside him, clearly still following all his thoughts.

‘ _Neural handshake officially stable at 89%; preparing to run all other simulations.’_ Naminé brought up a screen to their Jaeger, a complete interface of their machine from an outside view with a few key things glowing bright orange. _‘Aubade and Cerberus—the image on your screen should have vital areas we need to test. Think of it like a physical at the clinic_ _, only with a thirty story robot. You can go in any order, as long as they’re all tested. Once that’s over, we’ll disconnect you to finish running last minute diagnostics on your Jaegers.’_

Roxas exchanged an amused glance with his sister, who smiled upon comprehending what he was about to do. Pressing one of the many buttons below their screen, he released the defensive short bladed swords. Between the two of them, they began testing the gears that allowed basic wrist, elbow, and shoulder movement. Then moving the core, all while testing the weapons disposable to them—Xion’s favorite by far were the defensive blades that slid out by their wrists. They could block attacks and immediately be used for a retaliation. Roxas preferred the longer twin blades they had attached onto the back of the Aubade. They weren’t allowed to use them quite yet, since they were still in the dome, but he was very sure he would like them when the time came to finally use them.

Thankfully, there wasn’t much they could try out in the domes alone due to the space and amount of people who wandered around by Aubade’s feet. The entire testing process still took up to four hours, and by the time they were out, the corridor to the mess hall was all but flooded with people.

“I’m starving!” Sora cried out, Riku and Kairi laughing as they trailed behind him. They were completely in step with each other, almost rehearsed.

“I want some coffee,” Xion admitted, feeling out the foreign craving. “That really strong awful coffee you like Roxas.”

Roxas gave her an odd look. There was emptiness in his mind where she’d taken root in a few minutes ago—like cake mix that was missing a vital ingredient. Sitting at the table, he immediately passed her a hot plate filled with scalloped potatoes which she took from him so quickly; it was almost like she’d known he would pass it to her. It must be that connection, Roxas thought to himself. There was talk in the training floors before; how once you drifted with someone they never really completely left your mind. How sometimes partners couldn’t quite leave with just their own thoughts in their heads, like the wires were temporarily crossed.

The Cerberus trio seemed to be having that exact problem right now, finishing each other’s sentences and juggling plates over each other like a choreographed dance. Their tech team, seated across from them while they double checked numbers on their tablets, occasionally cast the trio odd glances before resuming their technical tasks. Someone cracked a joke and all three pilots laughed—Roxas felt uncomfortable watching. It was like watching a three way mirror reflection but with different people on each glass. Someone said something beside him, and he wasn’t entirely aware that it wasn’t just a passing thought until Xion shook him.

“Back to work after we eat,” he stated quickly, before Xion could open her mouth. She smiled shakily. Obviously she found their post-drift experience as disorienting as he did.

The leader of their tech team smiled across the table. “Oh good, you were listening. We’re taking you out to the field after this—not that there’s a kaiju alert or anything but we’d like to make sure everything is up to operational standards. It’s one thing to test the connections but we’d like to be absolutely sure everything is in mint condition.”

Roxas nodded, scarfing down his scalloped potatoes regardless of how fresh off the fire they were. Piloting worked up an appetite in just the trial run; he couldn’t imagine how starving he would be after the actual test.

 

* * *

 

Roxas was still awake around midnight, listening to the occasional person march past their quarters and down the hall. Xion hung her arm over the bunk bed, waving her king of hearts. He shook his head. “Go fish,” he muttered. “Hey Xion, are you tired yet?”

“No. Are you?”

“My brain is too wired to sleep.” He sighed, holding up the pack of cards for her to pick from. “I’m also too sore to relax.”

Xion snickered, pulling up a card and adding it to her hand. “I thought that sleep helps relax sore muscles.”

“Yeah but that only works if you can relax enough to get some sleep.”

“We should really take advantage of the sleep we get now, huh?”

“Probably,” he admitted apathetically. “I mean we can never tell when we’ll get a kaiju alert, or how many will come through. It’s been a while since we’ve had two come through. Got a jack?”

“Go fish.” Xion rolled onto her back, cradling her cards to her chest. She tugged her thick blanket up to her shoulders, shivering. She still needed to go buy that jacket. “I hope that means the breach isn’t able to pass more than one of them.”

“Or it means that they’re waiting until we let our guard down to strike back even harder,” Roxas muttered darkly, staring at his hand intensely.

“Did you say something?”

“Yeah—it’s your turn.”

 

* * *

 

The alarm went off at around 5am—an hour before they would normally be slotted to wake up at. Naminé’s voice boomed over the intercom in the dome at full volume, an urgency outlining her formal speak.

_‘Kaiju alert; closing in 10 minutes north of the dome and 100 miles away from the Miracle Mile fast. All crews report on deck. Technicians are to have Jaegers at 100% functionality in 10 minutes. Ranger teams Cerberus and Aubade; suit up and report to launch bays immediately. I repeat—report to your respective stations immediately.’_

Xion and Roxas leapt out of bed almost instantaneously, almost landing on top of each other in the rush to get up. “Morning sunshine,” Xion teased, running to her small drawer and pulling out her clothes. “You look lovely today.”

“Shuddup…,” he mumbled back sleepily, padding over and reaching over her to grab his own clothes.  “You’re a sight for sore eyes yourself.”

“I can’t hear you; I’m too busy getting ready to pilot a Jaeger.”

Roxas groaned, tossing back his shirt into the corner. “Is it absolutely necessary for us to wear all these layers beneath our suit? I mean really look—“He yanked at the thin cream t-shirt and wiggled the pants in his hands. “We need to wear all our regular clothes underneath the equivalent of a wetsuit, then the sealed shell, and finally the armored drivesuit which basically locks us into place. That’s not even taking into account the stupid ‘thinking caps’ we’re supposed to wear in order to sync with our Jaeger and each other. If I could just suit up in my underwear I would be ok with that because at least then I wouldn’t be burning up under four layers of clothes!”

“Roxas, get dressed. We’re kind of on a schedule, you know?” Xion crammed on her long sleeve shirt one handed while she turned to search for their boots under their bed. “Hurry up. Kaiju don’t wait for anything.”

“I’m going, I’m going,” he grumbled, throwing a bundle of his socks at her back. Straightening up to put on her shoes, she smacked him with the heel of her boot. “Hey Xion?”

“Yes Roxas?” she asked, exasperatedly.

He chewed the inside of his lip, turning around instead. “I’ll meet you on the launch bay. I need to use the bathroom first.”

“You’re not five; I didn’t need to know that.” She whined back. Taking a seat on his bed, she began lacing up her boots. She hesitated. “Besides, we came here together. We’re getting in there together. I don’t mind if we’re just a bit behind schedule. I’m sure that if anything happens Sora, Kairi, and Riku will get to the Miracle mile stretch without a problem. I’m going to get our stuff ready. It’s the big day, after all. ”

“Thanks,” he mumbled, closing the bathroom door behind him. A horrid chill filled his stomach but he ignored it. They would be fine. There would be two Jaegers out and there were two perfectly adequate teams piloting them. Everything would be fine.

 

* * *

 

_‘Prepare for the drop,’_ Naminé sounded off, the static crackling between her words. Roxas had his eyes closed, the neural connection erasing all form of motion sickness. He was grateful he couldn’t feel the usual turmoil in his gut—especially with the gusts of wind that were causing the Jaeger to sway while they were transported out bay. He barely felt the impact as they landed halfway out on the continental shelf, watching as Cerberus flew past them.

_‘We have one Kaiju_ _coming in close, codename is Deathmaw. We’ve got another Kaiju coming in but we keep losing them, codename: Stealth Sneak. Keep an eye out for Stealth—it came through the breach but we lost them along the reef. It’s too quick for our radar. Can either of you see it on your screens?’_

“One second—“Xion reached forward, rapidly pressing a combination of keys and pulling up the radar on their black and green screen. One Kaiju marker was blinking on the screen consistently but another marker was sporadically blinking from one spot to another as if the radar couldn’t focus on its location. “That’s a negative Naminé; we can’t lock onto its location either. How about you guys?”

_‘We have nothing useful on our screens either. I guess we’re going in blind with this one.’_

_‘Cerberus your prime objective is to protect the Miracle mile at all costs while we bringing in other Jaegers from the Northern Canadian domes. Aubade, you’re on watch—if anything slips through that perimeter, you are to engage and hold them back at all costs. Deathmaw is ranging at a Category 3 but we’re pegging on Stealth Sneak being a Category 4. Do not let your guard down. I will keep you posted as we get more information.’_

The static whistled and cracked as the voices switched. _‘Roger that Ms. Rosemont,’_ Riku sounded off stiffly. ‘ _Miracle Mile will be secured.’_

The siblings smiled at each other encouragingly, bracing their legs into the sand as they recalled Naminé’s advice. The Aubade could deal harsh enough blows…it just couldn’t take the hits too well. “Do you think it would be a bad time to ask she meant we’ll get pulverized or if we’ll get sent flying?” Xion joked.

Roxas looked at her, in mock horror. “You mean you didn’t ask already?”

They watched as the water erupted a few miles out in front of them, Cerberus catching Deathmaw by its open jaw and forcing it to lock in place. It was an adequate name, considering the Kaiju was ninety percent jaw—the amount of strain on the pilots to hold that mouth open must have been astounding. Its stubby legs waved uselessly in the air, unable to reach forward enough to pry away from Cerberus’s grip.

“Need back up?”

_‘No, we’ve got this,’_ Kairi answered breathlessly. _‘Just keep an eye out for Stealth Sneak while our hands are full.’_

_‘I’m really glad that the only sensory receptors we get to keep are the ones that cause pain.’_ Sora called out loudly, cheerful despite the strain in his voice. 

_‘Sora, do you actually enjoy feeling like you’re trying to prevent two blue whales from colliding?’_ Riku grunted. ‘ _Because then I’m not entirely sure you understand the point of those neural pathways.’_

Kairi made an agreeing noise in the back of her throat. _‘Sora we’re kinda busy right now’_

_‘—can you please concentrate because I can actually_ feel _the connection slipping.’_

Naminé sounded off something that sounded like an agreement from the statement, Sora sighing in response. _‘I will, I will—but you said—‘_

_‘Oh my god—Kairi step in. We’re kicking you off station Sora. I’m giving Kairi full control and making you back-up from now on.’_

_‘No you aren’t. I’m drifted with you Riku, I know you’re not really going to kick me offline.’_

_‘Try me.’_

Roxas pressed the comm share button. “I’m just curious—how do you three get anything done?”

Kairi sighed heavily from somewhere inside the Jaeger, the mecha twisting suddenly to slam the Deathmaw onto its side. The wind knocked out of its burly shape, the Kaiju laid half out of water in shock. A thick metal sword shot out Cerberus’s arm, gleaming orange against the deep blue ocean. _‘Boys, is it really the appropriate time for this—really? Let’s just get this over with please; it’s a little early to be arguing.’_

Cerberus reared back its arm, preparing itself to spear the Kaiju through the eye when Naminé’s voice erupted from the screen with an urgency he hadn’t yet heard. Something was jamming the feed.

‘ _Cerberus ABORT—we have Stealth Sneak on radar—closing in fast—less than—ABORT—‘_

_‘We can’t hear you Naminé—‘_ Someone pounded on the Cerberus’s comm feed. The Jaeger was still posed stiff in the air. Beyond the noise of static, Sora whispered something urgently in the background. Riku returned to the communication feed. _‘Naminé, do you copy—SHIT—‘_

Aubade tensed, legs positioning to run straight for the shelf as Cerberus hit the floor hard. Only a glimpse of a jagged tail gave away what hit its hull only moments before. Chunks of glass flew up into the air, sparkling yellow as they fell back into the ocean. Something sank deep in their chest. The glass that protected the cockpit was shattered and steam was coming from the area they’d fallen. The water churned and something sharp and fast sped away from the scene, disappearing under the angry waters. Cerberus was struggling to stand up, a leg shaking under the weight and an arm dropped limp at its side. Water was draining out of the shattered cockpit like a waterfall.

Roxas pressed the feed button. “Hold on Cerberus, we’re coming to back you up—“

Deathmaw struggled to rise up, blue Kaiju blood gushing from the side of its mouth and foot where Cerberus barely managed to scratch it before going down. It shook its head like a dog, the blood flinging in the air like fluorescent sea foam next to the colossal waves.

_‘DO NOT ENGAGE STEALTH SNEAK OR APPROACH CERBERUS, I REPEAT—DO NOT ENGAGE OR APPROACH.’_ Naminé was all but screaming into the radio, Roxas wincing under the noise. ‘ _We’re working on damage control from our point. Any assistance may jeopardize mission and place Rangers in immediate danger.’_

Roxas ground his teeth together, releasing the button. Xion glanced at him, tight frown marring her features. “She’s right—if they’re at critical levels, we’ll only be putting them in danger if we approach. It’ll be drawing two Kaiju to a severely damaged Jaeger.”

He sighed. “Well…I guess we’re on our own until back up arrives.”

She nodded, rolling her shoulders in sync with him, tensing in the sand. Deathmaw had managed to find its feet and was heading straight for them, webbed stunted legs and blood dribbling giving it the appearance of an incredibly demonic giant bulldog—without the adoring factor of a pet. Roxas reached forward and pressed the button that released the twin blades which were locked under the Jaegers wrists. “Ready Xion?”

“Ready.”

The collision wasn’t something they could have expected, considering they’d never been hit by something equivalent to a 30 foot story brick building. They skidded across the shore, kicking up sand and water as they fought to hold back the angry Kaiju—they were getting far too close to shore and it hit land, it would only be a matter of time before it reached the nearest town.

Even when Xion extended her right arm in coordination with Roxas and jammed the right twin blade under Deathmaw’s shoulder, the impact was tremor worthy. They winced and then Roxas shoveled the second blade towards the Kaiju’s eye, gauging it out in one swing.

They cringed under the intensity of its roar, ignoring the urge to cover their ears and keeping hold of the monstrosity as well as they could.

“Readying to strike the next eye,” Xion shouted over the pained shrieks, feeling the burn in their hand as the corrosive Kaiju blood began burning through the twisted wires under their metal armor. Roxas felt the burning too but it was probably worse for her—she was the one controlling the right arm after all. The pain receptors were useful in battle because they helped you react faster—but it was hard to keep fighting when you felt like your hand was on fire. He nodded, readying the next strike when Deathmaw managed to twist sideways hard enough to clamp down its mighty jaws onto the right wrist.

They screamed in unison, their Jaeger following their motions as they collapsed down onto one knee. Xion took momentary control, tugging their arm in blind pain but the jaw locked and the teeth sunk deeper into their mechanical wrist. Roxas ground his teeth in silence, forcing the connection and straining their remaining left arm up. Without another moment’s hesitation, they shoved it through the Kaiju’s lower jaw. It shuddered as the blade scraped though its thick neck, making awful guttural choking noises as the entire lower jaw was sliced clean off. Taking no breaks or chance for retaliation, they proceeded to shear off the rest of its head.

Arm dropping to Aubade’s side, they watched in exhaustion as the Kaiju carcass collapsed into the ocean. Its corrosive blood was sprayed all over them, their right mechanical wrist completely unresponsive regardless of their efforts. Reaching up, Roxas felt his chest heave tiredly as he pressed the comm button. “This is Aubade to Control Center and Cerberus…we’ll need a cleanup crew out here soon…Deathmaw is down…”

_‘This is Cerberus to Aubade, congrats on the first kill,’_ Riku answered breathlessly. His voice was shaky and pained. _‘Our systems are still on repair so be on alert, we’ve lost Stealth Sneak again and it’s still too fast to track underwater. Naminé, we’re still suffering some malfunctions. How long until we can get some back up?’_

_‘This is Central Command to all active Jaegers. This is off record and a personal note—Riku, you are in no condition to be piloting. Disconnect from the drift and leave the piloting to Sora and Kairi. Prepare for immediate return to the Shatterdome for medical aid._

_Back up is on the way. Aubade, you will have to handle the situation as you are the quickest Jaeger on deck—‘_

_‘I can’t Naminé—controls are jammed and have to be manually overridden. Currently overriding them—‘_ Riku made a low wounded noise and someone muttered something in the background. _‘Guys—Guys, I can do that—guys—“_

_‘Riku, take a break.’_ Kairi mumbled into the comm, taking over communications. ‘ _Is back up far?’_

_‘Back up is around five to ten minutes away—I suggest rerouting more oxygen to the boys Kairi. There’s not much we can at the station with manual overrides. Aubade, how are you holding up?’_

“We’re ok, nothing to report aside from a mangled Jaeger wrist, right Xion?”

No response. Roxas was suddenly eerily aware of how there really wasn’t any neural response from her, despite knowing she was still connected. It felt like a horribly calm was settling through her mind, like the world was shrinking and all the noises were suddenly very far away. “We’re ok, right?” He repeated weakly, something knotting in his throat.

_‘Xion falling out of alignment—Roxas, you need to reel her back in now—‘_

He couldn’t hear her well, something was blocking his senses. There was blood in his vision, red spots everywhere and her—his—their breathing was erratic and there was a pressure on their chest. Somewhere beyond the haze, he heard Naminé speak urgently into their Jaegers. ‘ _Both out of alignment—we’ve lost coherent contact. Roxas—Roxas, can you hear me?’_

Roxas focused all his energy into breathing deeply. Hold. Reach up to press the button again. Exhale and inhale again. Speak.

“L-Loud and clear…I think we’re—I mean Xion—Xion’s in shock—I’m in—I can’t breathe—arm is burning—right arm is not responding anymore—“

_‘All vitals are at critical rates—we need to shut you down right now—‘_

“But Stealth Sneak—“

_‘Back up Jaegers will handle the situation; watch each other’s backs—‘_

Riku had somehow taken control of the Jaeger again; Cerberus’s left leg dragging behind it weakly. _‘Roxas, it’s on your flank closing in fast—brace for it!’_

Roxas heard Xion wheeze beside him, feeling the whistle and shaking in his own chest like he’d been the one trying to catch his breath. He almost didn’t notice when the nightmare of the sea exploded out and into their side, dragging them underwater. Water was flooding into the systems, warning signs illuminating every available screen as he struggled to focus on pressing the ejection buttons for both of them. Somewhere beside him, he heard Xion mutter inaudibly something before falling silent once more.

He would never be too sure if the darkness came as the Kaiju clawed its way through Aubade’s head, as he was pushed up into the emergency escape pods, or if he had completely dreamed the events entirely. 


	2. Chapter 2

Riku struggled to breathe evenly, watching silently with his friends as Stealth Sneak tore Aubade apart. Its blind chameleon eyes searched wildly, tongue flickering in and out as it smelled the salty ocean air. Naminé's shaky voice filled their otherwise soundless pilot room, narrating the moments to the rest of the dome. _'Escape pods were released before helm was destroyed—Life support systems working and vital signs on screen—'_

"Copy that loud and clear," Sora sounded off seriously, pushing the last combination of keys and releasing the neural handshake that connected Riku to everyone else. Riku let out a sigh of relief, almost hanging from the connected suit as he relaxed. Kairi glanced to her right while Sora scanned the multiple 'failure' warnings on their screen.

"Riku, are you going to be alright like that?" she asked worriedly, ignoring the ocean wind spraying her face guard with salty water. The glass screen that protected them from the winds had been shattered upon impact and the floor was still wet from when they were forced under the water. The lighting was dim and flickering; a nauseating worry filled her as she noticed how pale Riku was. "How are you holding up?"

"I'll be fine," he grumbled, using his now free arm to clutch his broken one. There was something that felt wrong about being the cockpit but not having a say in how it ran. He didn't feel right leaving Kairi and Sora alone to pilot the Jaeger, like he'd failed in some way. "Can you two handle this?"

"This is nothing!" Sora replied back cheerily, his face betraying the pain Riku knew Kairi was sharing at that moment. They were already moving forward. "We've got this, just relax Riku."

Riku watched his best friends pour their remaining energy into one last charge. He felt hyper aware of how badly Sora was limping, of Sora's labored breathing and the blood that was beginning to stain through his dark grey suit but he continued smiling encouragingly over towards both his friends. It felt wrong, leaving them to man the fight alone. He watched them move together in silence. Riku honestly didn't know how Sora was still moving, with a pole lodged all the way through one of his legs. Kairi was the only one visibly uninjured; however that didn't spare her from feeling the same agony they were experiencing right now.

"What can I do?" He asked instead. "Is there anything I can try to get back online?"

"Just stay put Riku," Sora insisted worriedly. "You'll just hurt yourself if you move too much."

"I can't just hang here can I?" Riku snapped back irritably. A faint but audible wheeze escaped his chest and betrayed the extent of his injuries. "Sure, we were prepped to have a two man Jaeger incase the three pilot system failed somehow but what am I supposed to do now? You can't expect me to just hang from the connections in my suit like a puppet."

"If we disconnect you from the cables then you might hit something else!"

"Sora, you can barely walk and you're bleeding out badly. Between us both the better option is to log me back into the Drift and take you out. If you pass out then Kairi's alone. It's just a dislocated shoulder, I can pop it back in—"

"You definitely broke some ribs and that is a broken arm Riku, I'm not stupid."

" _You have a pole lodged in your leg, how is that any less critical than my arm_?!"

"Boys"

They shut up immediately, so used to Kairi making the peace in their arguments that they didn't even bother trying to continue the fight. It was only until they realized she wasn't going to say anything else that Riku began to notice something was off. "Kairi?"

She didn't respond immediately, her eyes never leaving the screen as they drew closer and closer the rampaging Kaiju. Her voice seemed off, disconnected and distant. "Hey guys?"

"Yeah?" They still answered together, as if they were all still drifted. "What is it?"

Kairi let her hand hover over the tech board—the board that she'd been messing with while they argued. A brief message shone on the screen, 'continue'. The word obscured the image of Sora's digital form, a tiny image to represent his connection to her in the Drift. He'd been so distracted in the haze of pain and conversation that he hadn't even realized what she'd been doing that entire time.

In a moment of hesitation, she glanced back at her friends—her family. Riku was still struggling to breathe. It was obvious that just talking was a feat on his part. Sora was deathly pale, clearly loosing lots of blood and falling into the preliminary stages of shock. That was all the incentive she needed. She exhaled deeply and smiled. She pressed the button to disconnect Sora, taking a deep breath and blocking out the boys cries of horror as she raised their bladed were already above Stealth Sneak, which had failed to notice their approach in its struggle to demolish Aubade's helm. Her head was already burning with the strain of piloting the entirety of the Jaeger's commands alone. She felt a trickle of liquid run down her face—she wasn't entirely sure if it came from her now bleeding nose or the amount of sweat she was producing under the strain.

"Don't let me handle the controls again after this is over."

* * *

Roxas awoke in a metal bed a day later, wires trailing down under his shirt and connecting to a monitor that beeped in sync with his heart.

"You're awake."

"How long have I been out?"

"Just under two days."

His head snapped to the right, ignoring the vertigo that temporarily overtook his vision. He groaned, hands reaching up to massage his temples. "What happened?"

Naminé sighed, placing her tablet face down on her lap. "First of all, I should apologize. I shouldn't have sent two inexperienced pilots out on the field at the same time. Our other pilots were sent off to help at another dome a few days ago and we weren't able to finish the preparations necessary to bringing them back because we were so busy prepping for you guys. Second of all—and this is off the records—I just want you to know that none of this was your fault. We're never entirely prepared for what comes out of the Breach. We have to adapt as best as we can in the situation and this time, we couldn't adapt fast enough."

"How exciting," he mumbled, falling back onto the bed, His least sore arm shielding his eyes from the bright lights overhead. "Thank you. But you didn't answer my question."

"Well…You've completely lost your Jaeger. Stealth Sneak tore apart what was left of it from Deathmaw's attack. It's down to almost 3% chance of functioning parts and at this point we don't think it would do anyone much good to salvage it versus commissioning a new one." Naminé cleared her throat awkwardly. "Can I get you some water?"

"Water would be nice, thank you."

She reached for the pitcher on the bedside table and began pouring out a cup of water while she spoke.

"Anyways, once you blacked out in the escape pods, Cerberus headed in to prevent further inland approach but…" Naminé bit her lip. "You might want to ask Riku the details about that when you're up to walking. He'll be in the far end of this medical wing. I'll give you a fair warning though; he's pretty cranky and might just refuse to talk to you at all . It all depends if Sora awake to ease off the nerves."

She held out the clear glass of water, Roxas taking it with both his hands and sipping it slowly. His throat was so dry, like he had struggled to breathe for hours before succumbing to sleep. "Where's Xion?"

"She's under medical care right now and will be out in a half an hour." Naminé hesitated. "She's physically fine, aside from the nerve receptor burns that are around her left wrist— watch out for your receptor burns by the way but…she's still asleep. We think the shock from the attack might have been too much."

Roxas held the cup silently, watching the water settle within the glass. "Do you have any idea how long that will last?"

"No, unfortunately I do not. We're keeping her here in the meantime since she's still a pilot and a patient but if she doesn't wake up soon then I hate to say it…but we may just need to move you on to a different Drift Partner."

Something shifted horribly in his heart but he refused to acknowledge it. "How are the others?" He mumbled, sitting up. "You said Riku was at the end of this medical wing?"

"Yes—mind your manners. Remember, he's on edge at the moment. Kairi is in the same situation, but for differing reasons." She gently guided him to his feet, allowing him to use her slight shoulder as a balancing point. "Would you like me to accompany you?"

"I don't think I can hold my balance well enough to say no right now," he admitted feebly, pretending the world wasn't swaying under his feet. Using her as a wall, she helped him hobble to the end of the wing. The last bed was granted the privacy of a thick white curtain, wrapped all around. Naminé gently pulled the curtain open enough to let Roxas pass in before her. Two beds were side by side, Kairi and Sora placed one in each. Riku sat quietly between both beds, thick white gauze wrapped around his chest and a sling cradling his arm. Kairi was fast asleep, the sound of a heart monitor keeping the room at ease. Sora smiled welcomingly as they entered the private room, his leg held up high off a sling. Shrugging off his thick blanket, he managed to lift up a hand to wave.

"Roxas! It's good to see you up! We were worried you were getting worse," Sora struggled to sit up properly; wriggling furiously on the mattress and eventually just slumping back onto his bed. "How's your sister?"

"Alright, so I'm told." Roxas mumbled, letting Naminé pull out a chair for him to sit in. She helped into the seat and took a seat herself beside him, pulling out her tablet and swiping at it furiously. "How are you guys?"

"We're doing pretty good," Sora said happily, glancing to his right. Riku remained quiet. "It's nice that they room pilots together like this."

"It's protocol," Naminé answered without missing a beat, never looking up from her tablet. "You guys live together, eat together, fight together—it would be wrong to separate you here."

"It's appreciated," Riku whispered quietly, flexing the fingers on his good hand. He looked up at Roxas, the dark circles under his eyes a good indicator of how little sleep he'd gotten. "Any battle scars?"

Roxas looked at his wrist, remembering where Naminé mentioned he would have a burn scar. Sure enough, it was wrapped up tightly with gauze. He couldn't feel the pain so he was more than likely on a low painkiller. He nodded. "What about you; what are you still here for? Don't they have you all nice and tidied up already?"

Riku laughed, wincing as his chest expanded and contracted. "Yeah, I got all wrapped up. Two cracked ribs, a broken arm, and a slight concussion—I'm not allowed to sleep for at least another couple of hours."

"You must be exhausted. How did you manage to stay awake?"

"With my help!" Sora all but yelled excitedly. Riku sighed, looking back towards Kairi.

"I've been watching him to make sure he doesn't do something stupid. He's been consistently re-administered a heavy dose of medication for a good twelve hours since he got out of surgery. He broke his leg and a broken piece of our Jaeger lodged itself into his calf," Riku continued tiredly. "He's been extra ecstatic and talkative since then. If he says something strange, just ignore him."

"How much trouble can you get into with a broken injured leg—"

The look he got from Riku and Naminé said plenty.

"Riku?"

"Yes Sora?"

"I can't see my toes. This big sock is in the way." Sora frowned, like the cast was the cause of all his miseries in the world. Then he stared at it intensely, studying it from every angle. "I don't remember buying this sock..."

Riku ignored him, turning his attention to Roxas instead. "I'm guessing you want to know what happened."

"If you don't mind me asking."

"Kairi took down Stealth Sneak—she took it down just moments before back up showed. We ended up needing them anyways because our systems were failing and couldn't override our escape pods since we were too busy trying to disconnect Kairi. "

Roxas took a minute to process what had just been said. "Sorry—did you say Kairi took it down? Don't you mean Kairi and Sora?"

Riku shook his head. " She disconnected us and went for the kill —I never thought she would do something like that. I mean, we joked about it but—"

"Wait, you guys actually talked about this?"

He hesitated. "Well…yes—"Riku sighed heavily. "This is strictly between everyone in this room but we all lied on our application forms, alright? Sora and Kairi are sixteen, not nineteen. I'm turning eighteen—we're some of the youngest pilots so far, even without lying on those forms."

Roxas looked at him, bewildered. "You're all that young and you still enrolled to join the program?"

We didn't have anything to go back to, ok? Sora and I were orphaned in the first attack, and we met Kairi when we were displaced. We are all we have."

Roxas looked over at Naminé for confirmation, wide eyed. Naminé nodded quietly. "Our parents were divorced and not on the best of terms. Kairi went with our father but they got separated in the mess of being displaced. I haven't seen my sister in many years. When she popped up on the admissions listings, I had to let her in. They'd made it clear from the beginning that they were a package deal." She cleared her throat again, forcing her gaze down to the tablet again. "It's not just them either. There are many pilots who are still underage. We used to hold a restriction but times are getting rough. We don't have the liberty to turn people away now. We just don't have enough man power for the fight any more so when we get young recruits, we take them in."

Riku nodded kindly in her direction before turning his attention back towards his feet. "I was the one supposed to come in for Ranger training but—"he paused, glancing from Kairi to Sora. Sora was beginning to nod off. His head lolled forward and violently jumped up . Sora smiled their direction cheerily before finally rolling back into a deep slumber.

"They wouldn't let me go alone," he finished weakly, shoulders slumping. "So we lied and enlisted together. We talked one night about what we'd do if something happened out in battle—when we practiced together, Kairi was always the fastest; the best at making the most painful hits with the least amount of movement. So we joked about her just manning a Jaeger alone in a pinch to go for a one strike kill—it would only be a few moments alone—but I never thought she would actually do it—we were just kidding around—"

"How is she?" Roxas interrupted. "I mean, she piloted it alone for a while right? That's a heavy strain, no matter how long you do it."

"She's been unconscious since the kill—they don't think it'll last too long." Riku answered dryly. "I don't think so either but I'm worried something will be damaged—like she won't walk or remember us—or maybe she just won't be the same and—"

Riku turned to Sora suddenly. "It's just like him to be so unaware and asleep. He's a good friend, no matter how oblivious he can be; even if he is heavily drugged right now. They're both great friends." His mouth pressed tight as he looked back at Kairi and then looked down at the ground again.

Naminé nudged Roxas.

"Let's go," she murmured gently, tugging his arm. Roxas followed her out into the hall, feeling a little steadier on his feet now that he was a bit more awake. A small crowd was walking down the medical wing, a mix of medical staff and technicians. She waited until they were outside of the room to speak. "He's been that way for a while. He'll start a proper conversation and then just lose it halfway. The medical staff insists it's just a side effect from a concussion but I don't agree."

Someone in the crowd spoke loudly, voice standing out over the rest. "I can't believe this—this is what we get for being assigned to new pilots, fresh off the matt. They're reckless, irresponsible, ungrateful, and ruin all our hard work. And now look what we've got! Two pilots with broken bones and one dumb bitch who worked herself into a coma—"

The curtain flew open, Riku storming out from under the twister of curtains and punching the technician who'd spoken with his good hand. Blood poured freely from the man's nose, swears slipping out his mouth in unintelligible babble. Kicking the back of his legs, Riku forced the man onto his knees. His bloodied fist was poised up for another punch.

"Say it again."

"Say what—"

"Call her a bitch again," Riku snarled. "Come on, I _dare_ you."

The entire hall fell silent.

"Kairi saved your ungrateful hide and everyone in the dome, as well as the city." He continued angrily. "If there's anything she deserves it is _respect_. You on the other hand, need to give me one good reason to not dislocate your shoulder within the next ten seconds."

"Riku," Naminé said quietly. "He's the head technician for your Jaeger."

"I'll still rip his arm off—"

"He also oversees most of the research department." Naminé shrugged awkwardly. "I mean, I'd love for you to rip him a new one for calling my sister a bitch but we do need him—even if he is a jerk."

Riku huffed angrily, turning around marching back to his room. "I'll let Kairi kick your ass when she wakes up." He muttered furiously, shutting the curtain behind him.

Naminé and Roxas stepped past the mess of people whispering and hissing about what had just happened—a lot of people seemed to agree with the bloody technician. Roxas followed Naminé to the back of the wall, watching as the crowd began to disperse. She stood awkwardly beside him. "That was the other thing I would have liked to discuss prior to this…people aren't too happy about the turn of events from yesterday."

"People?"

Naminé chewed her lip nervously. "Most of the technicians and public," she admitted weakly. "It's not your fault—people generally seem to lack an understanding that Rangers don't come in with a Ph.D. in Kaiju killing. You guys need experience and the only way to get that experience is on the field, in battle. So ignore them if you get heckled for losing the fight."

Roxas glanced through the small crack between the fabric window and the wall. Riku was seated between the beds of both his friends, looking like the living definition of depression. He was breathing heavily, hunched over pained and exhausted but still keeping watch over his friends. Roxas grimaced. "Easier said than done."

* * *

' _Yesterday morning, we were able to get on the spot footage of our two newest Jaegers out on the field only to watch them fall. All Jaeger pilots are currently under medical attention and were collected on sight by back up pilots from off the shores of Latin America. It is still unknown if the newest Rangers will be able to pilot again or if their Jaegers will ever be functional. The conditions of the Rangers are still unannounced. In other news, a thorough investigation is still being continued in regards to the Jaeger meltdown during a test in Russia six months ago—'_

Cloud watched the screen in silent concern. The group who'd flown in with them to Canada had been the ones piloting the fight on screen. Someone from the crowd below threw their beer at the screen in complaint; the woman on screen didn't seem to mind, continuing her forecast in a calm monotone voice. "This is why we don't need these _children_ protecting our lives." shouted the drunk. "They can't even keep their own Jaegers in one damn piece."

"Those are the words of someone who has never faced a Kaiju or served." Leon muttered past his own large mug, filled to the brim with espresso. Since Kaiju attacks still couldn't be predicted, Rangers were on a strictly enforced no-drinking policy. No one wanted to be near a Jaeger with a drunken Ranger piloting it. "Not everyone has the experience in battle."

"Have you fought a Kaiju before?"

"No, but I was there when the first attack happened. I've been in the military since I was eighteen—was shipped overseas for a year and came back just in time to a front row ticket to the show. I only transferred to the Jaeger training program about two years ago."

"What changed your mind?"

"I told you on the ride here—I'm looking for someone I lost track of a few years ago." Leon glanced down from their seat on the balcony. Their side of the Dome had been shut down for repairs from the Kaiju attack prior to this one and had been turned into a temporary rec center until parts could arrive to continue working. The crews had gladly accepted this change, quickly arranging a large TV screen into the space and setting up a temporary bar with whatever alcohol they could find. No one really argued with the multiple broken rules—everyone needed a drink around these parts anyways.

Cloud swung his feet forward and stretched back onto the metal grate. "I've never fought one before but I was there for the attack on Seattle and in Oregon. I know what it feels like to have it only a few seconds from crushing you under its giant claws. I know what it's like to survive and watch people get pulled out from under the debris. A lot of the younger people here don't know what it's like to lose someone on the talon of a monster, let alone get in a machine and beat the living shit out of it."

Leon nodded glumly, taking another sip from his coffee. "We should probably call up their Dome make sure they have enough Rangers there. I know that they were the only Jaegers in the Dome at the time. We should check up with the kids too. They're too young to be getting this kind of backlash over something that was out of their hands. We can fly in tomorrow. Our place is full either way—with Jaeger pilots and stupid people."

* * *

"Xion, can you hear me?"

Xion's heart rate was his only response. Roxas smiled weakly. "Naminé said that you can still hear me but…you look so peaceful. I wonder what you're dreaming about."

Roxas reached over and placed his burnt hand over hers. "I wanted to let you know that none of this was your fault. We were badly damaged and we'd never fought a Kaiju before. We weren't prepared for any of this. No one is."

He rolled onto the bed, lying down beside her. "We're alive, that's what matters." He whispered, rustling her hair. "Either way, we came out pretty clean compared to the other three. Riku looks like he should be on a picture talking about motorcycles risks and Sora looks like he should under the side effects label on a box of medicine. As for Kairi… we're not sure if she'll wake up sometime soon…She broke the neural handshake with the guys and piloted their Jaeger alone. Naminé said the strain put her in a temporary coma but we aren't sure how long temporary means."

The steady beep of the heart rate machine echoed through the open hall. Roxas sighed quietly, wishing the dome had enough resources to give them a private enclosed room. He starred up at the ceiling silently for a few moments before opening his mouth to speak. His throat felt dry and painful, as if the words he wanted to say were collapsing inside him.

"Do you think…that we weren't meant to be in the program to begin with? If we were meant to do something else with our lives?"

Slumping back onto the bed, he struggled to ease his pounding heart. The quick beat felt like drums in his ears and he could feel an awful chill run down his spine.

"We can do this," he whispered to himself at last, closing his eyes. "It was just our first fight. We'll be fine."

By the time he'd managed to fall into deep sleep, it was already morning. He was just beginning to enjoy the sleep when Naminé opened the curtain briskly with a gasp. "Roxas—what are you doing here?"

He awoke to a start. Sitting up, he jumped to his feet. "N-Naminé! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to pick up your medical charts—I was told you'd been discharged—"Naminé stammered. " _What are still doing here?"_

"I was asleep! No one told me I was discharged!" Roxas hissed, embarrassed. "When did you find out?!"

"The head of the wing informed me last night while she walking through the halls." Naminé said blankly, shoulders slumping. "She said she would let you know when you woke up but I assumed that was going to be sooner. I suppose that explains why she had your clothes in the laundry hamper."

Roxas sighed tiredly. "And you couldn't have called in to check? Not that I don't like you or anything but it's not exactly the kind of good morning I would have liked."

Naminé hesitated. "I…don't know?" She answered weakly. "I just got here. I haven't been awake more than an hour. If that's all you have to complain about then I'm going to keep going about my rounds. I'm going down there to check up on Kairi. She just woke up and we need to wheel her down for some exams to see the full extent of her damage."

"Wait up," Roxas cried out, padding after her as she exited the room. His bare feet tapped lightly against the cold cement floor and he suddenly wished he had socks. The cold felt worse in Canada—even in early November. "Kairi woke up?"

"Seems that way," Naminé answered curtly, her heeled boots clicking against the floor as she strode down the hall. "Hurry up—I don't like leaving them unattended. Seeing as I am the one who got those three in, I feel obliged to be present in all their affairs, even the private matters. You never know who is listening, waiting to ruin someone's hard work."

"Bet Riku loves that," Roxas muttered under his breath, following Naminé into last room of the hall.

"Love what?" Riku looked around. The room was silent. Roxas wasn't sure what to start looking at; Kairi with her hands wrapped around Riku's hair or Sora leaning over Riku's lap trying to button up his shirt. Riku scowled. "I have two cracked ribs and a broken arm, cut me some slack."

"Then try not to look so happy about it dear," Naminé sighed tragically. "It gives off the wrong impression."

"How are you feeling Sora?" Roxas asked, amused. "Are you finally off medication?"

"Yep!" Sora answered cheerfully. "They gave me some pills to take but only if the pain spikes up."

"Did you take one already?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

Roxas shrugged, looking away to avoid smiling. "It's good to see you awake, Kairi," he said calmly. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, thank you!" Kairi sat up straighter in her bed, elbowing Riku on the head in the process.

"Ow—"

"Oh Riku, honestly—if you would turn just a bit I could actually tie your hair back and then you could see! I don't understand how you manage to pilot anything with that mess in your face."

"Your hair is just as long as mine Kairi, you have no room to speak—Sora, you're pushing my ribs."

"A bit of advice Riku; invest in a hairclip. Now, please turn slightly to the left."

"I would; if Sora would finish arranging my shirt."

Sora scowled. "You put the shirt on then, I was just trying to help Riku—"

"Any other mishaps?" Roxas interrupted loudly.

They all shook their head in synchronicity. "No," said Kairi calmly, braiding Riku's hair despite his complaints. "We haven't. No one's been in here all day aside from the medics. Riku told me all about yesterday's incident when the nurse who was assigned to the room wouldn't go within ten feet of him."

Naminé shrugged in Roxas's direction. "He's gotten a bad reputation around here really quickly." She mumbled under her breath, taking up each of the charts at the end of the bed. "Roxas, if you need me later I'll be in the command center running diagnostics! When you're done socializing, you'll need to report to the Research Department."

"Is it absolutely necessary?"

"Mandatory."

Roxas sighed, exiting the room and running towards the exit of the medical wing. The trio was too busy bonding to keep up a decent conversation anyways. Slipping down a good portion of the cold hall, he struggled to find footing before turning the corner and into the elevator, the door closing behind him. Once again he found himself wishing for socks. He should probably change before he headed down to the Research department—it was bad enough that the tech teams hated the newest pilots. The last thing he needed was the Research division spreading rumors about him too.

"You got a lot on your mind kid?"

Roxas jumped, looking behind him. Two Rangers stood behind him, in full uniform. He'd completely failed in noticing their presence. The younger, blond one smiled down at him condescendingly. "Lost half your clothes somewhere? It's kind of cold to be running around without shoes and a shirt, don't you think?"

"Hey," the older pilot began. His gruff voice over took the younger one. The other pilot scowled, glaring up at his partner—they didn't seem to notice. "You're one of them new recruits. Aren't you that Rocky Ass kid?"

He'd never felt so insulted in his life. "It's Roxas, Roxas Hart." He growled, taking an immediate dislike towards the duo. "Who are you two and what garbage did you roll out from?"

Their reactions couldn't have been more opposite. While the youngest seemed flushed with rage, the older man laughed heartily, slapping his partner on the back. "This kid is great! Way better than you!"

"Neither of those statements were compliments," grumbled the other.

"I'm Jecht—nice to know someone around here has a sense of humor," Jecht motioned towards Roxas with enthusiasm. Roxas wasn't sure if the man was stupid or completely lacked filter and tact. "This crybaby here is my son, Tidus. We're to keep the peace while you guys heal up from the fight."

Tidus looked like he was standing on needles, grimacing and rolling his eyes as he took a step further back. "We were the backup that didn't make it in time." He added begrudgingly. "And he's _not_ my father—I'm not related to that asshole."

"Quit your crying boy—no one wants a whiny grown man around."

"No one wants a jerk like you around either but you're still here."

"I hate to interrupt your daddy issues but are you two done? Because I can think of at least ten ways that my time is better spent than talking with you two." Roxas cut in unhappily.

"Speaking of which, how's your partner? The tiny brunette; she's your sister, right?" Jecht rolled his shoulder casually, stretching on the spot. "Last I heard she was still in a coma. There's been talk around the dome about you getting a new partner if she doesn't wake up soon. Any comments to add?"

"You're a dick."

"I don't see why you're the third person to say that to me since we got here."

"That's because you're too drunk to filter half the crap that comes out of your mouth ninety percent of the time," Tidus grumbled under his breath. "The door's opening."

"Thanks," Roxas muttered, grateful for the bell that announced his stop. He stepped out and waved politely behind him. "See you around."

"For your sake…I hope you don't." Tidus called back, glancing at his father with incredible distain. "I really, really hope you don't."

Roxas wheeled around stiffly, breathing out slowly. "That's a fun crowd," he said under his breath, marching down the hall. His heart was pounding from the run and he could feel his pulse under his skin surging hot.

A steel wall greeted him were his room should be.

Confused, Roxas took a look around before realizing to his own embarrassment that he'd gotten off on the wrong floor. The elevator had been going up, not down. He was on the same floor as the command center. He groaned, ignoring the strange and indignant looks he was receiving for walking through the hall in his pajamas and into the command center. "Naminé—"

"Nice to see you around again Roxas," Naminé answered calmly, completely enthralled with her piles of papers and digital files. "What are you doing up here?"

"I got off on the wrong floor."

Naminé looked up from her work, nudging her reading glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Excuse me?" She smiled despite herself. "You got off on the wrong floor but you stayed here because…?"

"I forgot to ask what floor the Research division was on."

Naminé hesitated. Reaching down, she pressed the intercom button and pulled the microphone to her face. "Reminder to all staff on hand—I want a complete report on your progress with our Jaegers by fourteen-hundred. Failure to comply will result in a delayed meal card, orders straight from the Marshal. Dismissed."

Releasing the button, she turned to her tablet. Flicking her screen furiously, she barely glanced at Roxas as she strode past him. "Roxas for heaven's sake either get dressed or don't look so sheepish standing around half naked. We're going down to the ground floor."

"I'm going with you; wait up—"Roxas followed her into the hall. The staff immediately parted ways for her. It was hard not to, the way she strode down the hall with an air of a mission. "Why am I supposed to go to the Research division?"

"They have a few questions for you—rather, someone has theories and someone else has news for you."

"Are they anything like the tech teams right now?

"Worse, depending on who's in," Naminé answered grimly, allowing Roxas to step into the elevator before pressing the button. A capital 'G' lit up blue and the lift began descending. She continued flicking her hands wildly around the tablet. "That's why I'm going with you. I was originally planning on meeting you there but I suppose the trip would be best made together."

"Anyone I should look out for?"

"The head of the division and lead technician on Cerberus."

Roxas flinched, recalling yesterday's scene. "You mean—"

"Vexen, head of the Research Division in this dome." Naminé glanced at him apologetically. "He's a bit crass and not very sympathetic. He doesn't care much for anything that won't listen to his every whim. He's taken it upon himself to oversee the repairs on Cerberus after yesterday."

"How considerate," Roxas muttered, bouncing on his feet nervously. "Anyone else?"

"Not if you mean angry and horrid people."

The lift doors slid open, Naminé immediately stepping out and calling out to one of the workers nearby. The youth came jogging forward, wiping his hands free of oils on a nearby rag and pulling his lab goggles up to his forehead. "Naminé!"

She smiled brightly, allowing him to embrace her. Roxas watched in awe; he'd never seen her smile before. If he hadn't seen her in command before, he wouldn't have imagined she was the same person.

"I haven't seen you in a while, how have you been?" The youth exploded, his blonde hair smeared with the goo of Kaiju entrails and face flushed red with happiness. His sunkissed skin seemed off in the land of those who'd barely seen sun since the Kaiju arrived and a strong but young Australian accent flooded through his every word. "You never come by the main Research branch anymore."

"I have something called a job and it means travelling with my work. I'm not as disposable to visiting domes as you are—I also don't throw my title around to follow my friends." Naminé chided gently, brushing off a particularly large glob off his shoulder. "This is the Ranger you requested to see."

"Great!" An enthusiastically open palm was held out in front of him. "I'm Ventus Smith but you can call me Ven!"

"Roxas Hart, nice to meet you," Roxas answered weakly, thrown at the boy's enthusiasm. "Sorry if this is rude but you seem kind of young to be a scientist."

Ventus laughed. "I am—I'm sixteen. Oh and before Naminé says it, I'm not one of the scientists around here. I'm actually the head of the Research branch through all the Shatter Domes."

"You're joking."

"He's our bright little prodigy child," Naminé interjected, placing her tablet on a clean table nearby. "He's the reason we've managed to keep up with the Kaiju lately. We'd get more done with him if he would just stick to his dome instead of hopping around from place to place."

"I like to keep a watch on my friends and wherever Dad goes, I follow." Ventus shrugged, pulling up a few chairs from the desks nearby. An older scientist sighed audibly from the back, never once looking up from his mountain of paperwork. "Ignore Ienzo—he's just upset that I'm using the majority of his lab space. We'll be done in a few minutes. Take a seat. I'm sorry—you must be freezing."

Ventus reached past his tower of files and pulled out a long sleeve sweater. He tossed it at Roxas from behind. "Here, you can borrow my spare one. It would kind of suck if you got cold from this."

"I wanted to talk about the Drift you last initiated with your sister—did you feel any different when you woke up?"

Roxas hesitated. "What do you mean?"

"I was curious about the effects Drifts have after battle," Ventus began in a lecture like tone. He rolled up his sleeves to his forearms, revealing the hint of a faint tattoo under his left forearm. "Almost all pilots report having a sort of…ghost-like impression of their partners mind post-drift. I'm sure you've felt the effects before? Finishing each other's sentences, knowing exactly what they were about to do, doing daily things in complete synchronicity—those things. I had—have—concerns regarding your last drift."

"What about them?"

"Well…I wanted to know if you felt different because I think there might be an off chance that the reason your sister still hasn't woken up is because her consciousness never really split the connection with you."

"It's a farfetched theory, I know!" Ventus continued hurriedly. "But I think that she may have a better chance of waking up if you drifted with her again."

"I think it's a good way to lose the only adequate pilot we have left and waste perfectly good equipment," Vexen sneered as he sauntered in, nose curling in distaste as he marched past the three of them. "Either way, the Marshal already made up his mind about you."

Roxas glared at him. His coat hung miserably as if it had never been hung to dry, let alone ironed. Everything about him felt unfriendly and the way he stared at Ventus like he was an intruder spoke levels about his disregard for rank. "Made his mind up about what?"

"You're being moved."

"Moved?"

"Exactly. Didn't your precious princess escort tell you?"

Naminé avoided his gaze. "We…it was decided last night. They can't afford waiting another day for your sister to wake up. It's just too much of a risk with Kairi, Riku, and Sora out of commission right now. You're being moved to a dome on the coast of Alaska in order to begin testing for a new partner."

His world stopped. "Excuse me?"

"I had to compile a list of the possible candidates last night—I'm sorry, I tried to ask for more time but the activity around the Breach has been so unreliable and unstable that there wasn't much I could do—"

"But Xion isn't dead, she's just asleep—I can't just leave her—" He looked back at Ventus in terror. "We can do the Drift. It will wake her up for sure, I just know it. Let me try at least—"

"We can't do a drift with someone who's unconscious Roxas—"

"Please—"

"It's final and out of my hands Roxas." Naminé interrupted sternly. "I'm sorry. I did everything I could."

"Can you even switch me like this? Is that fair?"

"If you were looking for fair," Vexen said from across the room. "You shouldn't have joined the Jaeger program."

* * *

"Roxas? I'm opening the door, alright?"

He didn't respond, tossing the ball of socks up against the bunk above him. The heavy door creaked open and a bulky coat shoved its way through the narrow opening. Leon pulled off his thick hood, sighing. "We flew in when we heard the news because we wanted to check on you kids but Naminé just sent me to kick you out of your room. She said you haven't left it since she told you the news."

Roxas rolled his eyes, turning on his side. "I'm not going," he grumbled childishly. "I quit."

"You can't be serious."

"Dead serious; I'm quitting the program."

"So you're just going to pretend you didn't kill a Kaiju a few days ago, right?"

Roxas hesitated. Leon unzipped his coat and shrugged it off onto the unused coat hanger. Stepping over the mess of clothes, he weaved around the room until he found a seat at the edge of Roxas's bed. "You're going to forget that you and your sister killed on of mankind's worst predators ever? Is that what you're telling me?"

"Does it matter?" Roxas muttered. "She was my drift partner. They don't exactly just clone people; I might never find another person I can drift with. I don't want to let someone else in my head."

"Then don't."

At that, he rolled back over. Leon stared back down at him seriously. "Don't take anything into the Drift. Don't leave the program Roxas. You and I both know it takes years to train for this and even longer to find a decent piloting team. We don't have that kind of time anymore. Why did you join the program?"

"I…" Roxas looked down in shame. "I don't know anymore. I guess, we just felt like we didn't have any options available. It's either build or kill nowadays, you know? Unless you have money—real money—you have to pick between the two."

"I came in to the program because I wanted to find my friends." Leon began quietly. "I lost them years ago when we were only beginning to be attacked, when we didn't have a sufficient evacuation plan and people got displaced from their families by entire countries at times. I'm still looking. I've found some of them when I was in the military, not all of them alive. But I switched to the Jaeger program because I want to keep those few living.'

"Cloud joined because he has something he must deliver to someone important. Naminé became a Technician because she felt like she had to help protect something. Everyone is here with a purpose Roxas, what is your purpose now?"

"I don't know," he answered weakly. "She's not dead Leon. Naminé said so too but they're acting like she won't wake up—"

"It's a harsh reality that you are going to have to accept." Leon interrupted quietly. "I don't think she's dead. But with a coma, it can be years before she regains consciousness; we'll never know until she actually wakes up. And what will you tell her then? Will you tell her that you withered up and gave up because she was asleep? Or will you tell her that you fought so that when she wakes up, she won't have to worry about hearing a Kaiju alarm going off at night?"

* * *

He didn't speak the entire flight, despite Ventus's best efforts to brighten up the atmosphere in the helicopter. It wasn't his air sickness either—even if the turmoil in his stomach was unbearable at some points of the flight. He just couldn't bring himself to accept his choice. Leon was right; he would much rather let Xion wake to a Kaiju-less world but that didn't make his decision any easier. He listened to Naminé and Ventus discuss his latest accomplishment in Jaeger upgrading, as well as the most current study of Kaiju blue outbreak. He'd just about to lull off to sleep when Ventus spoke.

"Roxas, you should get something to eat once we reach the northern Alaskan dome. You're already slotted to meet with the Marshal and at least three possible candidates almost an hour after we arrive. You haven't had dinner yet, right?"

"I'm not hungry." He mumbled, rubbing his thumb against the dog eared pages of his notebook. His wrist felt tight when he moved it, with Xion's black leather bracelet wrapped around it too tightly but he made no motion to remove it. "Motion sickness."

"Do you need something? I have a ginger ale in my bag, wait—"Ventus fished around his shapeless backpack, tossing things onto the floor haphazardly while he searched. A thin chain with two glass stars fell to the ground. Roxas picked it and exchanged it for the can of ginger ale.

"Thanks," he forced out feebly, popping the can open. "I'm not used to travelling without my sister—we haven't been apart since…well, never actually."

"It's no big deal," Ventus answered cheerily, thumbing the star chain absently. "We all have people we miss and feel strange without. It's worse now that you drifted, right? You've basically shared every memory; even the ones you never knew existed. It must be…awful."

"You sound like you've drifted before."

"Once," Ventus admitted. "But that's a different story. It would have been…a waste of talent anyways. My friends are in the Alaskan dome right now actually, they're veteran pilots . They've been a team for five years, we met in Australia years ago. Or, they met in Australia and my dad took them in. We've been together since then. You should swing by to meet them."

"They've been piloting for five years?"

"Yeah, the _Stormfall_. It's their pride and joy." He smiled warmly. "They've protected domes all over and have a record of 12 kills. Terra jokes about the thirteenth being their last but I doubt they'll stop because they have a leading record."

"Do you know…why did they join the program?"

Naminé glanced at him curiously for a moment before turning to her tablet. She shifted uncomfortably in the seat. Ventus hesitated. "I never bothered asking," he answered honestly. "We're so close…it just felt like the answer to that was left best unsaid, I guess."

Roxas nodded silently, sipping from his can. Naminé cleared her throat awkwardly. "We're approaching the inland—I got a message from the Marshal that the fights got moved up and to meet him down in the training room as soon as we arrive. Will you be alright to fight or should I message him for a bit more time…?"

"I'll be fine," he muttered. "The ginger ale helped, thanks Ven."

"No problem, I used to have the same problem. Aqua was the one who suggested I carry some cans of this stuff."

"You're not going to throw a punch at how I'm a Jaeger pilot with motion sickness?"

Naminé and Ventus laughed heartily. "Actually," Ventus began. "We both know someone—and I'm pretty sure we're thinking about the same person—who's a pilot and gets sea sick."

Naminé nodded, chuckling despite herself. "He had an awful time trying to pass the swimming requisites and still turns pale whenever we mention taking a training day in the pool. The first day we did training, he moaned about how he 'didn't care about drowning in a fight if it meant he never had to swim again'. His drift partner was so appalled he refused to go anywhere with him that day."

"So I'm not the worst?" He asked, nervously licking his lips. Words seemed to tumble out of his mouth without his permission and his mind spat up his anxieties before he had the chance to filter his thoughts. "Even if I failed my first mission?"

They hesitated, glancing at one another before Naminé smiled, placing her tablet on her lap. Reaching over, she looked took Roxas's hand between hers and shook her head. "Trust me, Roxas. You are definitely the furthest from being the worst."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From now on, any extra story notes are posted at the bottom and marked with an asterisk (*). Enjoy!

The slamming of a metal door shook Sora awake. He scrambled to sit up, wincing when he strained his injured leg. Looking around wildly he spotted Kairi seated quietly at the desk, wrapped a thick blanket. Taking note of Riku’s obvious leave, he slumped back against the mattress. “Does he still say he can’t sleep because of a concussion?”

“Yeah,” Kairi answered tiredly. “I’m worried. I don’t think he’s been sleeping well since we got pulled out from Cerberus. This is the third night in a row that he’s refused to go to sleep. I tried to stay up with him but he wouldn’t hear it. I’m beginning to doubt he had a concussion at all.”

“Me too.” Sora started pushing his blankets off, struggling to move his leg off the bed without causing any pain. Kairi leaned over, helping him unwind the thin sheet from his torso.

“You shouldn’t go out for him like that.” She chided gently while adjusting his leg over the edge. He frowned and wiggled his arm out more aggressively, struggling to reach his crutches.

“You’d go.”

“I never said I wasn’t going after him—but I’m going to be dressed warmly, not shirtless and in boxers.”

He ignored her.

“Can you help me up please, I still can’t figure out these crutches.” Sora grunted. He whined quietly as both crutches came crashing to the ground. Kairi snickered.

“If you want, I can just go get the wheel chair.”

“I can’t believe you just said that to me.” Sora gasped dramatically, pressing a hand to his chest in feigned shock. He pulled the dropped crutches to his side with his good foot and flipped them up with one good push. “I’m insulted.”

“Sora, you can’t pull that off like Riku can. You don’t have the right amount of sarcasm behind it.”

“Can’t I at least try?” He huffed, using Kairi’s shoulder as an anchor to give himself enough strength to stand. She waited until he was securely on his ‘feet’ before grabbing Riku’s jacket from the top bunk. “I think I make a decent impersonation of Riku.”

“Not really,” she answered honestly, hurrying to the exit. Sora stumbled past her as she pulled open the metal door, sticking his tongue out as he zoomed by. “Your impressions aren’t that great Sora.”

“You’re actually mean; I can’t believe the tabloids called you the new pilot sweetheart. You’re the meanest person I know.” He teased, waiting for her to close the door before hobbling down the hall. She smiled. They both knew what direction Riku would take at this hour, regardless of how upset he was.

“Speaking of which, I think it’s very sweet that you cut out our tabloid pages from my magazine and taped them on the wall.”

“I didn’t do that.”

“Really?”

They were reaching the end of the hall. The elevator was waiting patiently for them. Kairi jogged forward a bit to press the button, smiling when it opened immediately. Sora picked the level as he entered, swinging back and forth while balancing on the rubber ends of his crutches.

“Yeah, Riku did that.” He continued, nudging Kairi’s calves with his toes. “I got to pick the pictures though. It was first night you were still in a coma. They hadn’t given me medication yet and he said it would be better to distract from the pain.”

A silence over took them, the elevators slow and quiet bell for every floor filling the lift like a timer.

“What do you think is going on?” Kairi said in a hushed tone.

“I’m not sure. Even with us Drifting…” Sora hesitated. “He’s always been more…quiet about this stuff, you know?”

Kairi nodded seriously. “He’ll listen to every word we have to spill past midnight but doesn’t really share much of his thoughts in return. We disconnected too, so neither of us have a grasp on how that felt.”

“It felt pretty awful,” Sora whispered softly. “That was really scary, you know? I was terrified when you kicked me offline. The only thing I could think was ‘what if this is the last time I will ever drift with her again?’ I know you did it with the best intentions Kairi but I can’t imagine how Riku felt.”

Kairi didn’t respond.

“Kairi.”

“Yes?”

“Please don’t ever do that again.”

She smiled, clasping him into a one armed side bear hug. “I promise.”

The doors opened to reveal Riku exactly where they knew he would be; seated silently at the foot of Cerberus. It was still offline and not completely at 100% functionality but their tech crew still had an unpleasant memory attached to the young pilots, making sure to steer clear of their Jaeger the minute Kairi and Sora get off the lift. Sora made sure to give Vexen a particularly nasty glare as they walked by, Kairi not bothering to give him even a small glance. Vexen didn’t seem to care otherwise as he walked past them, looking all sorts of ridiculous with an insulted expression over his broken nose.

Waiting until he left, Kairi cautiously approached her friend. “Riku…”

Riku glanced over his shoulder, the dark bags under his eyes giving him a more haggard look than usual. “Please go away.” He muttered, turning his gaze back to the broken Jaeger.

“Don’t be like this Riku,” Sora murmured worriedly. “We’re only trying to help.”

“Riku, come back to bed.” Kairi tried again.

“You shouldn’t say those kinds of things out in public Kairi,” Riku replied humorously. The joke was almost lost through his tired weightless tone. “They already think we have a love triangle. If they hear you say that and notice we’re all in pajamas, the press will have a field day on our ‘drifting threesome’.”

She ignored him. “It’s cold and really late. We shouldn’t be down here alone. We’re worried about you.”

“I can’t sleep, they said the concussion—“

“Having a concussion and not being able to sleep are two different things,” Sora interrupted. He shifted his weight to balance on his crutches easier. “It’s been three days since then and you’re awake way later than us but up before us. Aren’t you sleeping well? I can’t tell because my pain meds make me really drowsy but you look exhausted. Have you even tried sleeping?”

“I can’t sleep yet, the—“

“All you have to do is close your eyes and count some sheep—“

“I can’t sleep,” Riku repeated hollowly. “I just can’t sleep alright. Please—just go back to bed. You should both get some rest, you’re both recovering.”

“But so are you,” Sora insisted quietly. “So let us help you.”

Riku sighed, his good hand immediately reaching to touch his injured ribs. He didn’t answer.

“Riku, we made a promise,” Sora began. “We promised that no matter what happened we would always stick together.”

“We were ten Sora.” Riku reminded weakly. “Things have changed. We’ve changed.”

“But we’re still family, right?” Kairi asked softly. “Or has that changed too?”

Riku hesitated. Silently, he shook his head.

“No,” he whispered. “No it hasn’t.”

“Do you want to us to go?”

“No.”

 They wordlessly took a seat on either side of Riku, Kairi draping a blanket around his shoulders after helping Sora take a seat. Leaning into him, they sat in silence until dawn. Their tech crew found them there after breakfast, still awake but not a word between them; they didn’t need to speak.

 

* * *

  

If he hadn’t seen it in person, Roxas wouldn’t believe that Ventus had a nervous bone in his body. Ventus shifted his weight uncomfortably from one side to another, avoiding the Marshal’s gaze and focusing intensely on his shoe laces.

“What a surprise to see you here Ventus. I thought you were permanently stationed in the Japan Shatterdome to work on a new project? I can’t imagine why you would be revisiting your old habits of dome hopping unless you were conducting a personal inspection of the research branches in other domes.” 

Ventus shrunk under the weathered man’s scrutinizing gaze. Roxas didn’t blame him; the Marshal had a look of an experienced weary and disappointed father. If he hadn’t known better, he would have thought the Marshal was preparing to send Ven back home.

“If that were the case, isn’t it lab regulations that you shouldn’t be wearing thin fabric shoes? You were heading there right now, correct? Shouldn’t you be ready?” The weathered man asked, his eyes narrowing down both threateningly and kindly. Ventus shuffled quietly like a child.

“I-I heard that Rangers Aqua and Terra were here so was going to surprise them before I went to the lab for some rounds, Sir.” He answered sheepishly. “My extra shoes are in my backpack, I was going to change before I got there. My project is on hold until I can gather more research.”

“Neither of them is here; they left at oh-six-hundred to another dome in order to provide some cadet training. So unless you think copilot screenings will suffice in your research, I believe you have a job to do Ventus?”

“Yes sir.” Ventus nodded at Roxas and Naminé stiffly before making a swift exit from the landing deck like a puppy with its tail between its legs. He took the emergency stairs. Naminé motioned towards the Marshal.

“Roxas, this is Marshal Eraqus—“

“I prefer Eraqus,” he interrupted with a more relaxed smile, extending his hand out politely. “Miss Naminé is much more formal than I would like.”

Roxas took the hand. “Roxas Hart; it’s an honor to meet you sir. Naminé says you moved my…fights up?”

“Copilot screenings,” Eraqus corrected, beckoning towards the elevator. The snowfall was light but the chill was almost unbearable. Roxas couldn’t help but realize how naïve he’d been to think the cold in Canada had been awful. “We have three candidates lined up at this dome but I’m positive that we’ll only need to see one.”

“Why is that?”

“I have a hunch,” he replied calmly, allowing both them to board the elevator. He slid a small clip board onto Naminé’s tablet which she immediately began shuffling through. She frowned upon reaching the first stapled packet.

“You can’t mean…I didn’t think you would accept my suggestion so readily. Are you sure?”

“You handpicked them. Have you changed your mind? We can always reschedule.”

“Well no but…” Naminé chewed on her lip, looking at the glowing numbers that descended as they passed another floor. “I think the drift would be fine, it’s the compatibility part that I’m not so sure about.”

“Many pilots do fine with partners they don’t get along with outside the drift.”  Eraqus stated casually. “I have no doubt that Ranger Hart will be fine.”

Roxas glanced at Naminé as the doors opened. She gave him a momentary apologetic expression before getting off the lift. He followed her out and into the hall, confused. There was a small passing crowd that seemed to hesitate upon seeing the three but it continued on like molasses down the narrow halls. He heard someone mutter ‘poor guy’ and his heart sank.

“Sir—Eraqus.”

“Yes?”

“Has the...Has Xion’s condition been announced in all the domes?”

Eraqus nodded, turning left into the seemingly abandoned kwoon. The paint was chipped in various places and it seemed as though it hadn’t been in use for ages. “In a way; we try to keep most Ranger incidents personal and classified but when a pilot—no matter how new—starts searching for another copilot, it’s hard to keep the rumors from flying. The legal word is that your sister has been temporarily compromised.”

His shoulders slumped. In the domes that might as well have said she was dying. It seemed like no one else believed that Xion would pull through. Naminé had said she would be relocated to a Russian dome for better medical attention and a safer locale but it didn’t make him feel any better, knowing his sister would be hundreds of miles away.

“Roxas.”

He looked up. Naminé had black fingerless gloves grasped within her hand, which she quickly placed into his own hands while she attended to his still injured wrist. Roxas winced as she removed the thin gauze and replaced it with a silky bandage.  Guiding one of the gloves over the bandage, she secured it with a Velcro strap. A small cooling sensation flooded the injury, as if ice had been pressed to the aching skin. “The gauze needed replacing so this is a temporary fix. It’s got an infusion of burn medication so it’ll stem some of the pain. I want you to be fighting your best and you can’t do that if your wrist is in pain. I’ll have Ven bring you some new bandages and medicine after the fight. These training gloves are for the fight and yours to keep afterwards.”

“Thank you.” He mumbled miserably, putting on the other glove by himself. “This just feels wrong, you know? It was obvious from the start that Xion and I were Drift compatible so we were set to be partners almost immediately after our first simulation. There was never a reason to do screenings.”

“I know,” she answered gently. “We can’t afford to wait, but if you aren’t ready just say the word and I’ll postpone the screenings for as long as you need.”

Roxas smiled, shaking his head. “No, that’s alright. I can do it. You’re a good friend Naminé.”

“I wouldn’t say that just yet,” she responded lowly, turning away. “You haven’t seen your candidates yet.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, but she didn’t respond. Instead, she addressed the room.

“We’ll be having a hand to hand combat session,” Naminé began, pointing to the middle of the mat where they were supposed to meet before the fight. Roxas slipped off his shoes and socks, padding over to the inner circle painted on the pads. “I know you were trained with proper equipment as well but our trainers have taken the only hanbō we have.”

“Is that even fair?” Roxas asked loudly. “I thought we weren’t supposed to injure each other. Wouldn’t it be easier to hurt each other if we do hand to hand?”

“I agree.”

Naminé and Roxas looked towards the source of the voice. A lanky red head smirked from the other side of the ring, tying his hair back in a low ponytail. “I’m all for continuing the screenings but isn’t this kind of a disadvantage?  He’s like half my height and you’re expecting him to come at me. He might as well be fighting a mountain.”

Roxas ground his teeth. He wasn’t _that_ much shorter. “I’ll be fine, thanks.”

“Your loss,” sang the red head. “I’ll look forward to sweeping you into the ground.”

“Naminé.”

“Yes Roxas?”

“Is that guy my first opponent?”

“Yes,” she answered reluctantly.

“Good.”

Naminé sighed audibly. “I’m not sure what I was thinking now,” she mumbled, walking towards the Eraqus at the far end.

Roxas calmly circled the inner ring, flexing his fingers experimentally and rocking on his toes in anticipation. It had been a while since he had needed to do a physical combat training session, let alone a fight. They’d been forced to practice on all of their teammates, so it wasn’t like he hadn’t ever fought someone taller than him but looking at his opponent now, he felt like his arm reach was dwarfed in the others presence. It wasn’t so much that the other was tall but that his limbs felt so abnormally stretched; he felt cheated out of a normal battle somehow.

‘ _I could wipe the floor with him if we had actual weapons,’_ he thought unpleasantly.

Naminé cleared her throat loudly as she found her place at the end of the room, checking her tablet once out of habit before speaking loudly.

“Five points for a match. No intentional long lasting injuries and please refrain from breaking bones.” She reminded calmly. “Greet your opponent.”

The red head sauntered up confidently, smirking as he tapped his fist against Roxas’s. “Axel; it’s a pleasure to meet you Tiny Tim.”

Roxas ground his teeth together in silence. “Roxas; if you call me Tiny Tim again I’ll make sure to shove a crutch up your a—“

“ _Greet your opponent properly or you will both forsake your dinner meal cards for the next week._ ” Naminé spoke coldly, glaring at both of them from over her tablet. Both Rangers winced, Axel even cowering slightly under her angry gaze.

Roxas sighed. She was the boss here after all. “Roxas Hart, ex-pilot of the Aubade.”

Axel smiled sheepishly, shrugging in Naminé’s direction. “Axel, ex-pilot of the Luminary Prometheus*.” He replied a little more courteously.

“Aren’t you going to share why you stopped piloting? I’m pretty sure you know about me.” Roxas grumbled as he began circling Axel like a hawk. Naminé called the match to begin.

“Minor details and I’m not really into the tabloids—“Axel feigned a step forward, side stepping with his back foot and smacking Roxas on the back of his knees with his own abnormally long legs. Roxas stumbled forward, adjusting his footing just in time to prevent falling on his face. “You might want to concentrate on the now.”

Forcing his back leg to support his weight, Roxas jabbed forward and smacked Axel on his ribs just hard enough to hurt. “Jerk.”

“One-to-one,” Naminé called out. She looked at Eraqus feebly, as if waiting for him to say something she dreaded. “Please refrain from unnecessary distractions.”

“Well aren’t you a ball of fun,” Axel wheezed out despite Naminé’s prior statement.

Roxas took three steps back, Axel meeting his pace in one long stride with a cocky smile. Frowning, Roxas blocked a hit intended for his shoulder, pushing Axel’s wrist aside with ease and knocking him off balance by sweeping his foot to the back Axel’s knees. The taller man yelped, falling to his knees.

“Ent,” Roxas muttered grumpily as Naminé called out the score.

“Hobbit,” Axel returned playfully, now smiling when he yanked Roxas’s forward by the wrists. He hesitated momentarily when Roxas winced visibly but quickly slammed him to the ground anyways.

“Two-two,” Naminé called from the back. Roxas scowled, both of them scrambling to find a footing while avoiding the others attacks. His wrist burn was definitely agitated now, if not rubbed from the scabs. Careful to avoid worsening the damage, he continued fighting by attacking Axel’s only weak points—his legs. Axel on the other hand didn’t seem to give up his half of the fight but his eyes never stopped following the wrist until Roxas seemed to be too close for comfort. Meeting each other’s pace for a while, neither seemed land a single blow, always quick to block or dodge the second the attack came. It seemed like the dance had gone on forever when Naminé spoke—they’d been so engrossed with the fight that they almost missed it.

 “Match,” she whispered, glancing up at Eraqus nervously. Eraqus nodded seriously and something in her seemed to harden. Clutching her tablet to her chest, she took a deep breath and continued. “Match set. You are all dismissed.”

The fury in Axel seemed to flood to his face before it exploded from him all together. “ _No_. This wasn’t a fair fight and you know it.”

“I said dismissed—“Naminé began steely but Eraqus waved her off calmly, unfazed.

“I assume you are referring to the wrist,” he began. The other candidates were already filing out of the room, as if they had already known they would not have been picked. It suddenly occurred to Roxas that they may not have been candidates at all, that the decision had already been made but the fight was still held in order to follow certain regulations; to report a good story for the press to eat. After all, the funds only came when the public was assured they had decent soldier dying for them.

“You’re damn right I’m talking about his wrist!” Axel snapped furiously. “It’s one thing to not be at your best for a day but this is an actual injury! How could you expect him to fight his best in pain? This was a rigged fight!”

“You’re not wrong,” Eraqus answered coolly. “I wanted to see if you would notice his injury and still continue on with the fight. Not many would notice; even less would continue the match vigorously. The fact that you both chose to keep fighting means you are well suited—neither of you like to leave things half done.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t tell him?”

“It was unnecessary for him to know at the time. You will be ready for a simulation within two hours.”

Axel stiffened, hands balling into fists. “And if I refuse?”

“It’s not a debate, it is final,” Eraqus stated. “As Miss Naminé already stated, you are dismissed.”

Roxas paid no heed to Axel as he stormed out, instead turning his own fury towards Naminé. “You gave me the gloves so he wouldn’t notice I was hurt, didn’t you? You knew I would keep fighting even if I was hurt, you just wanted to see if he would do the same after noticing.” he asked quietly, shaking with rage. He fiddled with the fingerless gloves, stroking right over where he could feel the imprint of the bandage. “These weren’t screenings at all; you just wanted to see if he would react the way you wanted. I’m guessing the decision was made while I was still in the Canadian dome?”

Naminé hesitated.

“The decision regarding your new copilot was made when it became clear that your sister is unlikely to wake up,” Eraqus answered steadily. “The first day you awoke to be exact. It was Naminé who had to make the final decision in the end.”

“Are you telling me that you _knew_ and you never told me?” Roxas demanded, glaring at Naminé. She took up her serious face and nodded curtly.

“As the one in charge of screenings and in charge of all Jaeger Tech, I am responsible for keeping millions of lives safe and my orders were to find a suitable candidate that would pilot a new Jaeger with you.” She sounded off.

“ _You couldn’t tell me before we left—_ “

“Ranger Hart”

Roxas froze, eyes darting towards the Marshal. Eraqus stared him down like a parent and a leader. “I will repeat this once more and only once more; Miss Naminé has stated that you are dismissed. Prepare yourself for a simulated drift within the next two hours or so be it I will make you can never be a part of this program ever again.”

Nodding stiffly, he turned his back. “Understood Sir.”

Naminé watched in silence as he marched out of the room, shoulders slumping. “That felt awful,” she murmured, reaching up to massage her temples. “I can’t believe I agreed to this.”

“You did well—I don’t think we could have gotten Axel to agree if we hadn’t done it this way.”

“It’s not Axel I am upset about,” she responded. “At least Axel’s partner isn’t dead, he can see him anytime, no matter how strong of a grudge he holds—Roxas feels like he’ll never see his sister again and we just reinforced that. He must hate me.”

 “Most likely,” Eraqus admitted. “But give him time—if you had told him earlier, his reaction would have been worse. He will come around.”

 

* * *

 

Ventus took one look at Roxas’s expression as he entered the empty lab and sighed, immediately reaching for one of the glass cabinet doors.

“I’m guessing the screening didn’t go well?” He asked casually, pulling out fresh gauze and medicinal tape into his arms.

Roxas grunted, plopping down onto the nearest chair. Ventus pulled up a chair across from him, grabbing the throbbing wrist and began peeling off the layers that covered the injury. “Who did you get slotted with?”

“Some jerk—not that it matters,” Roxas growled, looking anywhere to avoid looking at his red burned skin. “Apparently they decided he was my pilot while I was still in Canada. They didn’t even bother telling us, they just wanted to test us out.”

“Well that’s not fair,” Ventus agreed, mechanically cleaning the wound. It was definitely bleeding and fairly strained. “They basically just told you to give up on your sister and move on, right?”

“The worst one is Naminé,” Roxas spat furiously, watching Ventus rub ointment on the open wound before starting the wrapping process. “She didn’t even have the guts to tell me in person—“

Ventus let the gauze wrap drop, smacking him hard on his burn. Roxas yelped, looking up at the young researcher in shock. “Don’t talk about her that way,” Ventus reprimanded seriously. “Her job is tough. She has to sign every death certificate, make every call to each family and watch a lot of pilots go through training only to die on their first mission. Just because she did this doesn’t mean she wanted to.”

He exhaled deeply, bending over to pick up the dropped gauze and tossing it in the metal garbage bin beside the desk. Rising to his feet, he walked back to the cupboard to find a new roll of gauze. “She probably didn’t tell you earlier because she was afraid you’d be angry.”

Roxas slumped in his seat. “Sorry…I was being rude, wasn’t I?”

“It happens,” Ventus shrugged off calmly. He leafed through the half empty boxes of bandages and medicine, looking for any possibility of an unused gauze roll. “So I’m guessing Eraqus set this up?”

“Probably, based on my partners reaction,” Roxas mumbled. “He was more upset about it than I was, I think.”

“You never did tell me who you got slotted with.”

“Some guy named Axel—“

Ventus knocked over a bundle of bottles, wheeling back to look at him. “Did you say Axel?”

“Ye-Yeah, why—“

Ventus exploded with laughter. “What was she thinking—oh man this is great!” He chortled, groping around a bit before finally finding the gauze. He returned to the chair still chuckling, resuming the wrapping process he had stopped doing prior. “I can’t believe she actually recommended that you drift with him.”

“What’s so funny?” Roxas asked irritably. He wasn’t fond of the guy already. If it turned out to be some awful joke of a pairing then it would just put salt on his wounds.

“Nothing, nothing it’s just—I’m sure you’ll be fine together,” Ventus insisted, still laughing under his breath while he tugged a little harder on the roll to tighten the wrap. “It’s just he was the one we were telling you about on the way here, the one who gets sea sick from the slightest bit of swimming. I just think it’s really funny how she paired up the pilots with the most sensitive motion sickness.”

“This should be a fun simulation then,” he grumbled.

“Are you running a simulation so soon?”

“Yeah; Marshal’s orders.”

Ventus grimaced, tucking the last of the wrap in snugly before securing it with a few strips of medical tape and a clip. “Well, I suppose the sooner you get it over with, the better. Hope it goes well, for everyone’s sake.”

“Do you have something against Eraqus or what?’

“He’s my dad.”

Ventus turned towards the desk, shuffling through a few documents before settling on a hologram pad at the bottom. Turning on the pad, he began punching in a series of numbers. “I got into the program because of him and met my best friends that way too. I’ve been in the Jaeger program my whole life—it’s all I know.’

“I was only four when we started with the program but I started training and studying to be a Ranger when I was old enough to read.” Ventus stuck his palm flat to the holo-pad and slowly pulled it up to chest height, a rough blueprint model of what looked like a Jaeger illuminating the desk bright blue. “I ended up here though, around the time I turned fourteen. Dad isn’t too happy about why I joined though.”

“Why did you join?”

“I wanted to help my friends—I couldn’t pilot at the time. Even in times of crisis, we have age restrictions. The strain could be too much for someone too young.” He spun the model around, carefully tapping areas to note places that could use further development. “So I buried myself with work to make good Jaegers, so my friends wouldn’t be killed in a battle because their armor was weak or a system failed until the time came where I could finally pilot something.”

“And he’s upset with that? He seems like the kind of person who would appreciate hard work.”

“He does—he just thinks that my talent would be wasted if I quit being the head of the department. I could list the number of people who would appreciate me leaving though; just off the top of my head is Vexen. He doesn’t like anyone though, so I don’t take it personally.”

“Anyways,” Ventus continued. “You should go look for your new partner. I’d tell you to look for Naminé but she’s probably busy setting up the simulation and you need to get some meeting time with your partner before test run. I need to make a video call.”

Roxas nodded quietly, examining the bandage work. “Thanks Ven—it’s good to have a friend in this place. It’s only been a few days but without Xion it feels…lonely sometimes.”

Ventus smiled sympathetically. “I know. I’m sure she’ll wake up soon. Kairi woke up after all.”

 

* * *

 

In the end Roxas didn’t find his partner until they were suited up for the simulation drift. Axel was fidgeting uncomfortably in the suit by the simulation room. He glanced at Roxas dismissively, stretching his arms and popping a shoulder in the process.

“Hey there,” he rumbled, arching his back. “Ready for the stupidest drift you’ll ever do?”

“Do we have a choice?” Roxas answered back unhappily. “It’s not like we have a Jaeger. Mine was totaled in the last fight and I’m pretty sure you don’t have one by the looks of it.”

“Not even one of its wires to call my own,” Axel admitted. “It’s still completely functional but I don’t think they trust me near one anymore. It’s probably the real reason we’re in a simulation now, aside from the fact that they don’t have a functional Jaeger to assign us.”

Roxas looked up at him sharply, concerned. Axel shrugged, instead motioning towards the simulation room. “Ready?”

“Why not?”

They headed for the room, the automatic doors sliding open as they approached. Naminé was already inside, typing in a few final commands into the main simulation computer. A model replicating the inside of a Jaeger head was turned towards the door, wires and carapaces hanging loosely from the ceiling. Looking up from her work, Naminé’s eyes drifted towards Roxas, her shoulders dropping just slightly enough for him to notice.

“It’s fine.” he mumbled as she opened her mouth to speak. He strode past her quietly, heading for the simulation platform. “I understand why you did what you did. You don’t need to apologize.”

She nodded solemnly, turning towards Axel instead. “Don’t ruin this one—I worked hard to get you back on the recommendation list.”

“Who said I wanted to be on the list,” Axel grumbled, refusing to look at her as he walked by. The other technicians in the room seemed to read the mood, working quietly in their corners and scribbling away on their clipboards in silence.

“Are you going to explain that?” Roxas asked slowly as Axel climbed onto the platform, allowing the intern technicians to connect his suit to the system. Axel shook his head, taking the spot to the right of the cockpit.

“Naw,” he answered stubbornly. “You’re going to be in my head in a few seconds anyways. No point in explaining it.”

“Prepping to begin simulation in one minute,” Naminé called off loudly. “Is everything connected properly?”

“Yes Miss Rosemont,” replied on of the interns, smiling as they finished applying the simulation visors. A clasp behind his head snapped into place. “All set.”

“Then we’ll start the Drift in five-four-three-two-one—“

Roxas thought he was right in believing that drifting was a sensation you would never get used to. It felt like sliding down a long slide with windows that a glimpsed into someone’s past—his and Axel’s memories were interlocking at such a quick rate that he could barely tell them apart. Axel seemed to have a better grip however, considering Roxas only caught glances at his memory—someone with fiery amber eyes and then an older grey Jaeger model, a semi run down building that seemed to overflow with children of all ages, a kid with bright red hair staring intensely at the news report on Kaiju—and then it was gone. He could feel Axel clench his jaw and vaguely heard Naminé report a number below fifty percent—then he was gone again.

Xion laying on the medical bed, Riku looking miserable seated between his two best friends, Axel yelling angrily as he fought someone, being slammed to the ground and left there to fume in the hall as the other walked away, someone who he did not recognize offering him an envelope filled with cash—Naminé’s voice was becoming clearer but it didn’t sound that much better. In fact, it almost felt like she was becoming more and more real while the connection between the two was fading more and more.

“We’re at thirty percent—twenty percent—five percent—no—No!” Naminé cried out in frustration as the machine suddenly shut down. Watching the large mainframe in front of her start to smoke, she huffed and brought her hands up to her face in disbelief. “Connection was lost! The computer is fried—you!”

She wheeled around and pointed accusingly at the head of the simulation room. The young technician froze like a deer in headlights, cowering under her fury. “Why hasn’t this machine been kept up to date? It should have _easily_ covered a testing simulation and it’s smoking from the stress! Where are the repair teams? And why aren’t these two being disconnected?”

“Don’t blame them Naminé,” Roxas mumbled weakly, feeling weak. The mental roller coaster was jarring and still fresh in his mind. He still wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. “It could happen to anyone.”

“This is unacceptable—broken equipment like this could have put you in a coma!” She dismissed quickly. She wasn't mad, Roxas realized as he caught the wild look in her eyes. She was terrified. “Where is the person in charge?”

“That’s m-me,” spoke one of the crew shakily. Roxas had to admit, this was the first time he’d seen her so outright emotional. She was more  _terrifying_ than  _terrifying_.

“Why isn’t this up to code?”

“Our dome isn’t funded as well as others—we have nothing to offer up here.” They admitted feebly. “Our research division hasn’t come up with anything useful, the last attack here left us crippled and no one has the money to buy new equipment.”

“Do you think other domes are funded better?”

They hesitated. Naminé simmered quietly, taking a deep breath before continuing a little more patiently.

“None of our domes are funded well—we work with what we have and what we get cheap. I will arrange for Ventus to do a quick run through of what we have, what can be salvaged, and what needs to go. It will be your responsibility to make sure this dome is up and running at full capabilities by the time I leave, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Good. Now disconnect those two, the automated disconnect is offline.” Naminé turned to Roxas and Axel. Both of them looked fairly upset strung from the simulation platform—though what they were upset about was known only to them at this point. “We’ll try again once they get this machine fixed. It may take a couple of days but I want to make sure we’ve got a steady Drift going before we can actually get you a Jaeger. One is in production already but it won’t be ready for a while—it takes a long time for Jaegers to be completely assembled.”

“How long will it take?” Roxas asked hesitantly.

“At least five months. That’s not including all the tests and simulations we need to run with it before it’s even capable of leaving the dome,  let alone go for combat.”

“What do you want us to do in the meantime?” Axel asked dryly, frowning as one of the nervous interns yanked off a plug too forcefully.

“While the simulator is being fixed, it would be best if you two spent some time together.” Naminé took out her tablet and pulled up a hologram schedule. Roxas watched as the patiently waited to be unhooked from the machine. They could easily unhook the arm wires and the helmet but the connections that ran to their spine and back of the head were another story. Naminé made a triumphant noise as she found the timeslot she was looking for.

“You should go do some training together.” She said cheerfully, her mood clearly brightening up again. “I know you sparred a few hours ago but I’m pretty sure neither of you have been exercising as much since you stopped piloting—especially you Axel.”

She shot him a pointed look. “I heard from your tech crew that you weaseled your way out of that final swim test for Ranger training years back.”

Axel flinched, avoiding her glare. He already looked pale from just the mere mention of swimming. “Yeah well…there was a crisis and I already had a partner in the dome. Sue me.”

“Why don’t you practice your dead man’s float?” she asked cheekily. “At least then you’ll still be alive and well enough for us to find you out at sea.”

“No thanks.”

She smiled, turning her back to them as they dropped to the floor.

“It wasn’t a question. Go bond—it’ll do you both some good.”

 

* * *

 

“So…are you going to tell me who that person was in your memories?” Roxas asked quietly, floating by lazily.

Axel grunted unhappily, eyes scrunched just as he attempted to float alongside Roxas in his own lane. The interns hadn’t been wrong—the whole dome seemed much more underdeveloped than the others. Not a lot of Kaiju came up north—at least not to Canada. There probably wasn’t a reason to fund a dome if they didn’t seem to be at risk.

“Shouldn’t you be sharing your tragic backstory first?” He griped anxiously, looking positively green. “I’m not really in a talking state if you haven’t noticed.”

Roxas rolled his eyes, diving headfirst into the pool. Mermaid kicking his way to the bottom, he waited a few seconds  before pulling himself up with only his arms—Axel took at least a few seconds to recuperate enough energy to talk in the pool anyways. Inhaling deeply, he resumed his previous back float. “That’s right; you said you didn’t read the tabloids. Don’t you even watch the news? I at least try to stay up to date with Kaiju attacks.”

“It’s all gossip,” Axel muttered back. “Doesn’t matter.”

“Fine—we lost a drift connection right after a kill, in the middle of a battle. Not sure what happened but my sister just never woke up after the fight. So here I am.” Roxas stared at the ceiling apathetically.

The lights were depressingly low lit. The entire gym seemed crammed into a too-tiny room, with the weight room and training mats on either side of the pool.  A small self-made track circled around the weight room, where a few young trainees were running what seemed to be a mile, reprimanded by a stout angry red man.

“Great for you,” Axel moaned weakly as they hit the end of the pool. His head tapped the ceramic tiles but he made no motion to move. “My asshole copilot is still well enough to talk and he’ll make sure to call me every now and then to remind me that he’s an asshole.”

“What happened?” Roxas asked curiously, hoisting himself out of the pool. He let his legs dangle in the water, watching the water sift past his calf length green swim pants. “Did he get sick?”

“No,” Axel answered miserably, joining Roxas on the ledge but leaning back on the cool ground instead. “He quit.”

Silence fell between them, interrupted only by the sound of the nearby trainers angry yelling. Roxas examined his new co-pilot carefully. They were different as night and day; tall versus short, lanky versus proportional for his size—the list went on. Axel’s chest rose and fell shakily with every breath, eyes still firmly closed. The trainer yelled across the room again, louder this time.

“Who’s that?” Roxas asked curiously.

Axel peered over lazily, smirking weakly. “That’s Phil—he’s one of the best Jaeger pilot trainers around but he likes to stick to the failing domes. I guess it makes him feel like he’s doing something worthwhile. He usually scares off most of the new recruits though.”

“Scares them off? He’s like barely five feet tall, how would he scare off—“

“YOU—you on the bench press! Did I say you could do less than 50 pounds?” screeched the trainer again, hopping on the spot in rage. “If you got the time to go easy on yourself then you’ve got the time to add another fifty to your lifts! And you over there! Don’t think I didn’t see you cut a corner! That’s another mile! I’m stuck with a bunch of no good rookies, aren’t I? And what about you two? Did I say you could stop sparring? Do you quit a fight when you’re tired and take a nap? Would you leave a Kaiju battle because you’re sore? Get back on that Kaiju’s back! Two words guys; learn some discipline! I don't teach anyone except the greats and if you ain't gonna be great, you ain't cut it for anything 'cept Kaiju kibble!”

Roxas frowned. “Never mind; I get it.”

 Axel laughed.

 

* * *

 

_‘Ven, just because you’re awake doesn’t mean we should be.’_

“What are you talking about Terra? Where are you? It’s two in the afternoon here.”

 _‘Ven, it’s four in the morning here. We’re in Hong Kong. Didn’t Eraqus tell you?’_ Terra yawned loudly, falling back to his mattress. Aqua smiled tiredly from the chair, sipping her tea.

‘ _What Terra means to say is good morning. And thank you for calling us, regardless of the time. I’m assuming you are still in Alaska with the new recruit you were telling us about?’_ She asked calmly, reaching forward to grab her small bag of tea cookies. ‘ _Thanks for the cookies by the way; it’s hard to find little things like this nowadays.’_

“No problem,” He returned calmly. “Dad says hello. Sorry if I woke up, I just wanted to talk. I can always call back if you want.”

_‘No, it’s fine. Something is obviously on your mind. Tell us about it.’_

“I was just wondering what you thought about the new crowd—you know. The co-pilot match up Naminé was asking me about. I talked to you about them around three days ago. I wanted to know what you thought about them?”

Aqua hesitated. Terra groaned something unintelligible in the background, his foot kicking the ceiling of their bunk bed. _‘What do you mean?’_

“Well, I just was just wondering if you felt like they were a…mismatched pair,” Ventus finished lamely. He ran a hand through his hair, giving it a more disheveled appearance than usual. If Aqua were there she would have been complaining about his work ethics and how he should take care of himself before working. “I don’t know. You know how Axel is—how he’s been lately at least. I can tell you for sure that Roxas isn’t as stable as he seems to be. I’m afraid one wrong word will set him off like Axel did.”

Aqua smiled. _‘I see. I’m sure they’ll be fine. Naminé did make the match; she’s usually spot on about this. I’m sure they aren’t so mismatched they’ll set each other off. What do you think Terra?’_

Terra threw his hands up to motion a shrug before yanking Aqua’s blanket from above onto his bed. _‘I don’t care as long as they don’t make a mess like the Prometheus did. Can I go back to bed please? I love the phone calls and everything but it’s really early and training starts at oh-eight-hundred sharp.’_

Ventus ignored him. “So um…did you talk to him?”

The sound of soft static fit between the two lines seamlessly. Aqua shifted uncomfortably in her chair. _‘Ven…Ven I—‘_

He huffed, turning towards the work on his side desk instead. Pulling up a series of files on the extra hologram pad, he spun the Jaeger blueprint idly* while he waited for them to load. He already knew the usual excuses anyways. Aqua sighed. Terra grunted, the bed creaking as he forced himself to sit up. Leaning over Aqua’s shoulder, he took a long draught of her tea before turning to the still running video call. ' _It’s not our decision Ventus; we can’t do anything from our end. He’s already made up his mind. We tried just about everything. He won’t budge.’_

“It’s stupid,” Ventus mumbled childishly, separating his files and reorganizing them in a more normal fashion. “I’m perfectly capable of piloting a Jaeger. I passed all the tests, did all the training—I even had a partner, there is no reason to hold me back—“

 _‘You’re too young Ven,’_ Aqua insisted. _‘It would take a toll on you at this age, your brain is still developing—‘_

“That’s not an excuse Aqua, you are the person I least need to hear that from,” Ventus snapped coldly, glaring at his work. “You two started piloting when you were sixteen—you were one of the first to start at that age. We’re in a crisis right now and you know it. Kaiju attacks are coming more frequently and we can’t keep up with the damage. The last Kaiju—Stealth Strike—knew where to attack. Almost all of them know where to attack now; they all head straight for the cockpit. If they aren’t ready, most of our Rangers die. We can’t afford to let any possible pilots go and you know it! That’s the only reason Roxas was assigned a partner so quickly!”

_‘You’re an important part of the research department—‘_

“I don’t care, Ienzo can take my place! They’re more than capable of handling themselves and he’s got a copy of all the Jaeger models I’ve been working on—“

_‘Ventus, it’s out of our hands and it’s out of your hands. What would you have us do?’_

“Fight for me,” Ventus cried out in frustration. “You know Dad as well I do. Help me out here! There has to be something else you can do.”

Aqua slumped visibly in her chair, glancing up at Terra. He frowned, unconsciously rubbing Aqua’s shoulders in return.

 _‘We can’t do that Ven,’_ Aqua whispered. _‘You’re so young and I-I can’t do that. We can’t. You’re too important for us to lose. We can’t commend you to a life like ours.’_

“But you guys are important to me too, why can’t you see that? Why should I have any less right to fight than you?”

“Ventus?”

Ventus swiveled in his chair. Naminé was standing at the doorway, hand poised in the air ready to knock. She looked around uncomfortably. “Is this a bad time? We need you down in the simulation room and various other places for a system check through. I can come back in a bit though.”

He shook his head, exhaling through his nose in an attempt to calm down. “No, it’s fine. I’ll be out in a minute.”

He turned back to the monitor, abashed. “I’ll…call later.”

_‘Ven’_

“Yeah, Terra?”

 _‘If you really want to convince him, you’re going to need to find someone who will agree to be your drift partner.’_ Aqua finished, smiling at him weakly. _‘It’s not that we think it’s the best idea but we don’t have a right to keep you from it either. If you find someone who agrees to partner with you, we can back you up to the board and Eraqus.’_

He nodded curtly, ending the video feed. Axel and Roxas were already there, both leaning over Naminé like curious children. Roxas nudged Axel in the ribs to push him away, scowling when he refused to budge. “What’s going on?”

Ventus smiled deviously. “Do you two feel like going on a trip to Hong Kong with me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The Luminary Prometheus (name provided by Naminé, who is secretly proud of the name) had a total kill rate of 3. Axel never really liked the name.
> 
> *Ven isn’t a scientist, he’s actually a kid playing with a bunch of sciencey stuff that is the truth there now you know


	4. Chapter 4

“You know, I didn’t think Naminé was telling the truth when she said Ventus didn’t follow regulations when I first met him,” Axel began, hauling his beat up gym bag over his shoulder like a feathered pillow. “He was a real goodie-two shoes; always making sure to follow the rules and stay in line. He’s really good at what he does too but he’ll do a complete one eighty when it comes to seeing his friends—or a project he doesn’t want anyone to know about.”

Roxas nodded quietly, still feeling rather queasy from the flight despite his decent supply of ginger ale and crackers (courtesy of Ventus and Axel). He could still hear Naminé’s upset voice, complaining that he always left when actual work things came up and this rate he would be fired before he managed to quit the position. Ventus had laughed it off pleasantly, embracing her tightly before dashing off to run his errands. He’d wasted no time fixing the worst of the problems but admitted that the simulator was a different matter entirely without funds and he would look into getting a new one while they were gone.

He snorted back laughter. ‘While we are gone’ sounded less like they had taken a plane to an entirely different country and more like they had gone out to buy milk. Axel looked at him curiously, as if he were worried about something but shrugged it off.

“Anyways,” he continued. “I’m still not sure why exactly he asked us to tag along.”

“He probably didn’t want to travel alone.”

“I don’t think you get it. He’s the kind of person who would up and disappear in the middle of the night because he got some wild idea. If he were visiting his friends then he would have been long gone by now. He’s got to have a reason for bringing us along.”

“Naminé thought it was a good idea,” Roxas admitted apathetically. “I think it was the only reason she didn’t report straight to Eraqus when he said he’d be leaving. She probably thinks it’s good for me—something to distract me.”

“Or me,” Axel muttered under his breath. Roxas somehow felt it was best to not question that statement. Not yet at least.

“Hey, do you two mind coming out into town with me?” Ventus called out, a few feet ahead of them. “You can leave your bags by the lift doors. I already called someone up to pick up our luggage.”

“It’s not that heavy,” Roxas answered. Axel nodded beside him.

“We can carry it; it’s not that big a deal.”

Ventus frowned. “Actually it would be better to leave them behind. I’m not sure how long we’ll be out and I’d rather you not get pit pocketed if we stop somewhere. If you have to, just take out whatever you feel like you need. I have something important to do before night and it looks like it might start snowing.”

Roxas shrugged.

“Suit yourself,” He said quietly, unzipping his backpack to pull out a scarf and a pair of gloves. Axel rummaged through his own pack before yanking out a neatly folded jacket and a small bag filled with brightly wrapped hard candies. When he spotted Roxas eyeing the candy, he smirked.

“What, did you think I never ate?”

“No, I just…haven’t seen candy in a long time.” Roxas admitted slowly. He set his bag down by the lift doors like Ventus had asked, waiting for Axel to drop his own pack. They began following Ventus away from the landing pad towards other elevator at the end of the deck. “We weren’t allowed our own food or snacks while we were in training and we didn’t have the money to splurge on treats like that after the Kaiju attacked San Francisco…”

“I don’t blame you,” Axel replied. “I barely had it even before the Kaiju attacked. I didn’t really get much of it so if I buy it now, I make it last. I do like ice cream though. Want one of these?”

He held out the bag loosely, shaking it a few inches away from Roxas’s nose. “They’re actually not that bad.”

Ventus wrinkled his nose as they approached, eyeing the bag distastefully. “Axel, those are cough drops not candy.”

“What? No way. They taste too good to be cough drops.”

“No, those are definitely cough drops.” Ventus fought to hide a smile as he pressed the button to his left. The smaller elevator could be heard travelling up from the ground floor at a quick rate. “I take those when I’m sick. Where did you get them?”

Axel pressed his lips together firmly. “…Terra did, right before he left.”

Ventus’s shoulders shook with silent laughter.

“I could see that,” he struggled to say without laughing. “He is still upset that you got away with what happened in the Russian dome.”

Roxas frowned. “What happened?”

“You didn’t tell him?”

“Well I thought the drift simulation would clear things up but it didn’t work and I just forgot.” Axel sighed exasperatedly. “Sue me; I have other things on my mind.”

“Aren’t you going to tell him?” Ventus asked seriously. The elevator doors slid open, a small bell announcing its arrival as the three of them stepped aboard.

“I will if you stop talking.”

“Tell me what?”

“I had been assigned a new copilot six months ago—just like you were. I was just told to show up because of an attack and when I got there, someone different was standing in the cockpit. We got through the fight but we started arguing afterwards and almost leveled the town because we lost control.” Axel shrugged. “Eraqus put me on temporary leave but a lot of people—especially Rangers—think that I should have been given a dishonorable discharge instead.”

He smirked. “So what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Do you think I should have been given a dishonorable discharge?”

Roxas didn’t respond. The elevator ride felt long without conversation to fill the space between them. Looking down at his scuffed up shoes, he shrugged weakly. “I don’t have room to judge. We all do dumb things without meaning to.”

“I think we can all agree to that,” Ventus added cheerfully as the doors slid open. Stepping out, he smiled widely at them. “Before we go, do you need anything? We can pick some stuff up while we’re out—I just want to know so we don’t have to go out of our way.”

“No,” Roxas began quietly. “I’ve got everything I need for now.”

“Actually,” Axel interrupted loudly. “I need some new winter boots. Naminé told me we’d be picking up our Jaeger in Russia’s dome in a few months but it’ll still be winter up there by then. A coat would be nice too.”

Ventus looked at him curiously, mouth opened as if to say something before shutting and giving him a quick pleasant nod. “Sure, not a problem! I’ve been here before and know a place around the area. I’ll take you there after we run our errand.”

Roxas struggled to keep up with them. Between Ven’s fast pace and Axel’s steady but long strides, he found it hard to keep a decent conversation with them. Axel took a longer time walking because he seemed to be enjoying the sights while Ventus was allowing his naturally energetic personality to influence his already quick pace. It was a little frustrating to be honest, having to turn his head back and forth every few seconds to properly hear them since Ventus had a naturally soft voice and Axel’s deep voice made it hard to hear him over the waves of crowds. He’d spent so much time swinging back and forth between the two conversations that he almost ran straight into Ventus.

He did however, fall into Ven’s back when Axel walked smack dab into him. Scowling, he looked up. “Watch it.”

Axel grinned. “Not my fault you’re so small.”

“I’m not that short,” Roxas muttered, waiting impatiently as they waited for the crosswalk light to change. “It’s not my fault you don’t look where you’re going.”

“You are really short Roxas; you’re shorter than Ventus and Ven’s the shortest person I know.”

Ven glanced over his shoulder absently, shrugging. “You are kind of on the small side.”

“Either way, you really only reach my shoulder.” Axel stated smoothly. The light changed, Axel reaching up and mussing up Roxas’s hair as he walked by.

“Anyways, do you remember what I said?” Ventus asked sternly as they crossed the street. He took a turn into a narrow alley, following the crowd of tourists and citizens.

“I couldn’t hear you through the noise,” Roxas complained. Ven sighed.

“I said that you should both keep close to me and try not to say anything about what you do. Not everyone here is happy with the Jaeger Pilot system and some don’t take kindly to pilots.”

“Nice to know that people still don’t care if we save their lives, regardless of the times we live in,” Axel muttered bitterly, stooping under a low hung banner. “You didn’t mention where we were headed.”

“One of the Kaiju temples; we won’t be inside the actual temple but we’ll be near it.” Ventus hesitated. “Actually, in its skull would be most precise.”

Roxas froze, taking in the words and sight. He could already see the thick horns peering over the cracked windows of an abandoned building. It would explain why everyone seemed to be heading in a bowed manner and why some people were speaking franticly to the sky as if in erratic prayer. He shifted towards Axel unconsciously, ignoring the strange look it elicited from the older pilot. “What are we doing there?”

“Someone has something I need—I’m here to talk them into returning it and you are here as my body guards,” Ventus chirped happily.

Axel frowned. “Shouldn’t you have told us that before we said yes?”

“Haven’t you ever heard the phrase ‘read the fine print?”

“No.”

“Acquaint yourself with it; it’s useful in our field of work.” Ven smiled. “I doubt you’ll actually have to do anything but if you feel like it’s not worth the effort you are free to return back to base.”

“We couldn’t do that if we tried,” Roxas answered with a huff. They blended into the sea of murmuring people, weaving in and out of the crowd as they approached the brightly lit Kaiju remains. Roxas shuddered as they passed the open maw, its pearly teeth faint red under the lanterns. It felt wrong that so many people were coming to pray the very things he was paid to kill.

It felt wrong that he had to be killing them at all.

A ripple of frantic whispering seemed to following the crowd into the temple but Ventus pressed them on before Roxas could raise his question.

“This way,” Ven motioned softly, slipping between the curtains that acted as a wall between the buildings and Kaiju temple. [V1] Beyond the silky fabric was a narrow but long alley. The temple really only existed in the base of the Kaiju’s mouth but its remains extended further out to the beginning of its ribs before burying into the ground. A thick metal door was firmly wedged between the largest of the ribs, heavy remodeling hiding whatever new temple was built inside. A shiver ran up Roxas’s spine and suddenly he had an overwhelming urge to turn back to the Dome.

“So what are we doing here again?” Roxas asked, hopefully not too nervously. Axel was lingering close to him, clearly unnerved by the way he was balling up his hands into the pockets of his jacket. He didn’t seem so nervous as opposed to disgruntled though. “Ventus?”

Ventus grimaced, tugging back at the hood of his coat. “I’d keep your heads down here if I were you.”

“You said that earlier but no one’s around now. Why?”

“Because black market dealers aren’t always that keen on meeting the people they trade with—particularly the Rangers.”

“…What?”

Axel seemed to bristle at the mention of the dealers. He seemed to curl into himself instinctively, as if recoiling from something that he did not want to touch. “Did I hear you right?”

Ventus ignored them, rapping his red knuckles against the metal door once before sliding it open. An eye patched man greeted them with a sly crocodile smile, looking particularly sleazy under the red dim lighting of the temple. He didn’t rise from his chair, instead casually glancing up from his magazine before speaking in a lazy drawl. “Been a while since we’ve seen you around these parts kiddo; have you changed your mind yet?”

“The answer is always no,” Ventus replied curtly. “Is my brother in?”

“No, the brat went out to make sure he gets his orders in mint condition. If you’re too nervous to wait you can always just head up to see the boss.” The man sneered. “I bet he’d love to see you around here again.”

“I’m not stupid Xigbar. If my brother doesn’t want to see me, he could just say so.”

“You think I would waste my time lying to you?”

“He’s throwing a tantrum because I made sure he didn’t get his order. Either you tell my brother to stop throwing a tantrum and let me in or I’ll call Eraqus and force you guys to change home base again.”

Xigbar sighed dramatically, pressing a small button that rested by his chair. The door beside him whirled open tiredly, creaking as it pressed itself to the wall. Roxas and Axel were just about to follow Ventus up the stairs that were settled behind it when Xigbar whined. “When did you turn into such a pain in my ass? Can’t a gun for hire have a little fun sometimes?”

“You aren’t paid for that.” Ventus called back, smirking faintly as the door shut behind Roxas.

“What was that all about?” Roxas hissed at Axel.

Axel shrugged.

“We’re not paid to ask questions, we’re paid to kill Kaiju.” He responded bitterly before turning back to the spiraling stairs. Roxas winced under the amount of distaste behind the tone. He didn’t say anything. The stairs continued spiraling up in an odd slanted direction and his knees were beginning to complain when they finally reached the level. Cool winter air flooded in from the small holes that should have caged the Kaiju’s eyes were left. Barren, only a couple of small heaters seemed to provide any heat the area.

The entire skull had been carved out and reformed to have three outer rimming floors that revolved around the main middle floor. A small buzz of sound travelled through the floor beneath them, where people were praying for the gods to forgive their sins and to take the Kaiju away. Few people paid heed to them as they crossed the pearly floors, too busy examining files and small containers of Kaiju remains to care about their whereabouts. Only one person seemed to instantly absorb their presence and for once, Roxas wasn’t sure that was a good thing.

“You,” seethed the young adult in the middle of the room. His expression went from bored to murderous in an instant and he all but glided across the room to confront Ventus. “I thought I told you I didn’t want to see you here ever again.”

“I had an errand to run,” Ventus answered calmly, shrugging it off as if here simply a snide comment. “I have something you want so I figured I could barter with you.”

“You mean you have _my cargo, you disgusting little—_ “

“I’ll trade you the goods in perfect condition and two more cargo boxes if you’ll hear me out first.”

They hesitated.

“Who are they?” he asked suddenly, jerking his head in their direction as if he had only just noticed them. “Did you finally replace your stupid pilot friends?”

Something in Ventus seemed to tick, like a small timer just begging to go off. “New trainees,” he said stiffly. “I’m hazing them.”

“You were never good at lying Ventus,” responded his brother honestly. “It’s the only reason you stayed with them and I got to leave.”

“That’s not how it happened,” Ventus grumbled, annoyed. “Are you going to listen or not?”

“Are you going to tell me the truth or am I going to have to torture it out of you like before?”

Roxas orbited closer towards Axel, gripping at the edge of sleeves to prevent forming a fist. Axel tensed beside him, fighting the impulse to step forward. However, Ventus spoke before defending anyone became an issue.

“You’re a headhunter now; I have a proposition for you.”

Vanitas narrowed his eyes, studying the three of them the same way a wolf would study its prey before leaping in for a kill. It was hard not to feel naked somehow under his glare; Roxas didn’t like it. He paced around them, nodding slowly as he circled around the two pilots. “Keep talking, I’m listening.”

“I need you to provide me with the location of a certain thumb drive—it was taken from me—“

“—which is code for Aqua stole it from you—“

“—and it was given to someone that I don’t know—“

“—over-bearing motherly Aqua strikes again—“

“—it’s important that no one knows I’m looking for this Vanitas.” Ventus finished seriously. “Not just for me but for you too.”

“Why’s this so important?” Vanitas drawled apathetically. He picked under his carefully manicured nails, as if any dirt could possibly find its way under them. “I’m a head hunter, not a detective. I know you don’t want me to kill or torture whoever has these files so there’s no reason to come to me unless…you think it’s something that would affect me too.”

He sighed, rolling his eyes towards Ventus in a condescending manner. “Don’t you ever give up? I already told you I’m not going back. Hell, they won’t take me back either way. Just accept it; there are things you are good at and things I am good at. You’re good at saving the world and building things to save the world. I’m good at corrupting it from under your very nose and ripping up anything in my way to get what I want.”

“Not that you aren’t that different little brother,” he continued sneeringly as he leaned forward. He was right in Ventus’s face, almost as if examining every pore personally. Ventus barely flinched. “If I remember correctly, you have a way of doing anything to get what you want.”

“I have morals.”

“Yeah,” Vanitas scoffed, backing away. “That’s why you’re here, asking for my help and resorting to blackmail.”

“You never said if you’d help me.”

“Depends; are we dealing with the usual terms here or do I actually get something worthwhile out of this?”

Ventus hesitated. “Same as usual.”

“Then a deal is a deal,” Vanitas stated as he searched his pockets. He pulled out a cigarette and a thin lighter. Lighting up the death stick, he inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly. The smoke filled the area like a fifth person, Roxas fighting the urge to cough from the overwhelming smell of foreign tobacco mix. “I’ll give you a report by the end of the day on whatever I’ve got. It better be important if it’s causing precious Kaiju cargo to go bad or Xehanort is going to have my head—“

“Van.”

If Roxas hadn’t been watching carefully, he wouldn’t have seen the flurry or emotions that flitted across Vanitas’s face. It was only for a brief second and they all settled on annoyance in the end but he’d been conflicted for a moment. Like the simple nickname had set off some turmoil inside.

“About my compromise—you know—“

“The offer still stands,” Vanitas interjected dismissively, waving a hand over his shoulder. “If you can make it happen, I’m your man so long as you repay your debt. Don’t think about double crossing me either—I know you better than anyone Ventus, don’t forget that. Not even Aqua or Terra can help you out of this bind.”  
  


* * *

 

“Miss Naminé?”

Naminé glanced up from the holo-projector attached to Ventus’s hastily discarded desk. Eraqus was standing behind a timid intern, looking like the textbook definition of perplexed. “Ah—pardon Sir. I was just reading some material that Ventus left behind.”

“Left behind?”

She mentally bit her tongue. “He took Axel and Roxas out on an expedition while we wait for the Jaeger repairs. I thought it would be best if they distracted each other.”

Eraqus hummed quietly as he sauntered in, taking a seat beside her at the desk. “I see. Did they mention when they would return? Or where they would be going?”

“No Sir—just out to rent a cabin in the woods. You know how Ventus is; he’s always loved nature.”

“So it seems,” Eraqus answered softly, placing his palm over the holo-projector and slowly bringing up the files to a three dimensional view. He frowned as a picture of the Breach came into view, several notes and calculations shoved all around the image. As he flipped through, the notes became more and more erratic. “What on earth is he researching anyways? His quarterly review was postponed with all this commotion and I never got a chance to ask.”

“I’m not sure,” Naminé answered honestly to her relief. “All he would say was that he didn’t want to create a commotion over nothing. Do you think he could he have found a way to close the Breach?”

“As wonderful as that would be,” Eraqus murmured, still examining the work. “I don’t think he’ll be touching that subject for a while. He’s still very guilty about the near death accidents that occurred when we attempted to force it closed and he hadn’t even come up with the theory.”

Naminé nodded solemnly. No one had died but the event had left everyone shaken; most of all, Ventus. He hadn’t spoken of closing the Breach since. She glided her hand over towards the document and circled a selection of vigorously written notes to be highlighted. “Does it seem to you that perhaps…he’s afraid this isn’t good news?”

“I’m beginning to think so,” Eraqus answered worriedly. “The way his research is going, it sounds as if he’s afraid the Breach is getting wider.”

“How could it get worse?” Naminé whispered, heart clenching within her chest. “We’ve already had double events—we’re lucky that we have the technology to keep fighting them. It’s not as if we can time their arrival either. What could possibly be worse?”

“Wider passage ways mean more can get through, correct?” Eraqus began sternly. “According to his estimations and Ienzo’s commentary, we might not be facing a triple event just yet—‘Naminé’s heart shuddered ‘—but something worse.”

She shivered. “Do you mean we might get something worse than a Category 5? We haven’t even encountered those yet, I don’t know if we can handle something that bad.”

“We’re going to need to.” Eraqus closed his eyes. “It sounds like we’re going to get something much larger next time and that might possibly be soon.”

A loud shrill alarm sounded through the metal walls, the lab flushing bright orange under the flood lights. Naminé’s heart sank. “Not this soon, I hope,” she whispered. Clicking the power button for the screen, she slumped into her chair. “Pardon the lack of formalities but may I ask a personal question before the report is sent out to the domes Sir?”

“Permission granted.”

“Do you think…he’s happy where he is right now?”

Eraqus hummed quietly. “I think he is satisfied knowing that his work provides good in the world, but no. I do not think he is happy with simply being a scientist. Regardless of what he’s good at it, I don’t think he will part with his dream quite yet. Why do you ask?”

“Speaking as the Head Technician, I feel as if he is more than qualified to pilot a Jaeger and contribute with the battle as well as in the scientific and technological advances.”

“And as a friend?”

She hesitated. “I think he deserves another chance, don’t you think?”

“I may be the Marshal but even I take orders from someone Miss Naminé and as long as they do not pardon him, I am afraid my foot remains firmly where I last placed it.”  
  


* * *

 

“What do you think about what Vanitas said?” Roxas said in a hushed tone, catching the heavy parka that was tossed his way. “About Ventus having a debt to repay.”

Axel shrugged, holding up another furred jacket and examining it for a few moments before finally tossing it onto the pile that was slowly accumulating in Roxas’s arms. “Not really our problem, is it?”

“He’s a friend, why shouldn’t it be our problem?”

“You think these people are your friends?”

Roxas flinched. “Well why shouldn’t they be my friends?”

“What do you know about Naminé?” Axel tossed another jacket his way. “From what I caught through our drift, you’ve known her for a little while. All you really know is that she’s some girls’ sister and she’s in charge of you.  She knows more about you than you know about her.”

“She has too—she screens everyone’s information—“

“Who else do you have? Ventus and maybe those other kids in that Canadian Dome you left?”

Roxas scowled. “I get it. I don’t have any friends.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Well you’re kind of being a dick.”

Axel sighed heavily, reaching past a rack of large jackets to reach the smaller one in the back. “What I meant is that you shouldn’t be so quick to call them your friends. You never know who’s going to try and double cross you. You can’t tell if they’re telling the truth. Just because we’re living in a war against monsters from the deep doesn’t mean that people will suddenly grow a conscious.”

“If that’s the case, then I don’t know anything about you yet.” Roxas replied back, wounded. It was bad enough that the only family he had left was in a coma. He didn’t need another solid reminder that he was more alone than he originally thought. “You don’t know much about me either.”

Axel’s shoulders slumped, the skin around his eyes crinkling faintly as he smiled. “Yeah but at least you aren’t alone anymore. I hated being alone when I got put on probation. Here.”

He extended his arms out, tucking the mountain of jackets under his arm and forcing the smaller one into Roxas’s hands. “Try it on. It looks like it might be your size.”

“I don’t need a jacket.”

“Bull shit. You were turning blue on the way here and eventually we’ll be heading somewhere colder than this. Winter isn’t even here yet.”

“I don’t have a payment system up yet—“

“I’ve got money. Consider it a reward for being a body guard for the day.”

Roxas laughed. “Fine. I’ll pay you back later.”

Terra was the sense to hear the alarm, his body somehow already filling up with a sensation of terror. Straightening up beside Aqua in the bed, he stiffened as he identified the emotion. Aqua snapped her book shut, recognizing his behavior almost instantly. The Kaiju alert system sounded off like a car alarm in their room.

“It’s only been two weeks since we last had an attack,” Aqua said rapidly, already on her feet and pulling out her outfit from her drawer. Terra was tearing off his lounge wear at top speed. “It’s too soon for another attack—does Ventus know about this? He’s always studying the Breach, looking for a way to close it. What if this is why he suddenly brought up getting into a Jaeger again—“

“He’s always been on that, you just don’t want to listen,” Terra interjected calmly while forcing his thinnest t-shirt on. He ignored her stripping behind him as he searched wildly for socks. “It is troubling though. What does our mission log say?”

Aqua peered over her shoulder to the luminescent screen that was blinking orange and drooped quietly. Terra turned around, pants half buckled and one sock in hand. It was unlike her to stop moving when they had an alert. When he caught her befuddled expression, he turned the screen instead.

“It’s a Category Four but our orders are to stay put.” she stated dumbly.

Terra frowned, dropping the sock. “What—who’s in charge? Why did we get this?”

“The one who relays all the information is Naminé—regardless of where she is—but if we got an order then it would have to be from Ansem right? He’s in the Dome now—otherwise we’d get orders from whoever is Head Technician here.”

“Why would Ansem give us a Kaiju file but tell us to stay on the mainland?”

 Aqua shook her head, rushing to completely dress herself before slipping on her shoes and heading out the door. Terra followed suit, adjusting smaller things to his attire as they walked. Luckily, LOCCENT wasn’t that far of a walk; they lived down the hall from the Command Center. They marched straight up to Ansem, the distinguished man barely giving them a sideways glance while he observed the team at work.

“Why are we grounded?” Terra demanded, failing to hide how upset he was with the situation. “We haven’t done anything wrong.”

“It is not that you have done something wrong but rather that your help is unnecessary for the time being,” Ansem answered passively. “Did you not look at the file?”

“We did but it’s a Category Four. Shouldn’t we at least be ready in case they need back up?”

“We will not be assisting today.”

Aqua hesitated, glancing over at monitors. A Kaiju sonogram image was on screen, the little dot that marked its travel path on the naval maps slowly gliding towards the remains of the Hawaiian Islands. “Permission to speak freely, Sir.”

“Permission granted.”

“There are only two Jaegers left protecting what’s left of those islands—shouldn’t we at least offer assistance, regardless of the distance?”

“They demanded assistance—I’ve ordered all Domes to refuse.”

A chill ran down their spines, horror giving birth to a chilly hole in their hearts.

“B-But why—“

“I know a losing battle when I see one. I will not risk the lives of another Jaeger for the sake of preserving an island that has already been battered by the tsunamis caused through fighting. I refuse to continue this depravity—those two Jaegers refuse to leave their posts and other Domes have been repairing them without my permission. I will not permit anyone to go to their aid, nor risk unnecessary lives.”

“Sir, they have come to our aid before—not two weeks ago, the Zanarkand answered a distress call to those new pilots in Canada.” Terra interjected in frustration. “How can we refuse to help those who have come to our aid so many times before?”

Ansem’s eyes darted towards her, narrow in warning. “Do not try my patience Ranger. My word is final. No one will leave their posts. Disregard my orders and I will see to it personally that neither of you never pilot the Brightcrest again.”

Aqua’s hand travelled up to Terra’s shoulder, griping him tightly once before nodding at Ansem. “Permission to be dismissed.”

“Permission granted; go do something useful while we see to it that the problem is maintained to those islands.”

Terra wheeled past Aqua furiously, brushing off her hand and storming out of the Command Center. Aqua followed him out much more quietly, smiling at a few subdued people who looked just as upset as she felt. She walked much more slowly; already certain Terra would be heading to their Jaeger pit. He was always very helpful and grateful to their team and he tended to migrate there whenever something was on his mind. It felt peaceful to him, she mused, recalling his memories of car grease and electrical circuits as if they were her own. Sometimes she wondered what he would have done if the Kaiju hadn’t arrived, if he would have stuck to his hobbies of building cars and never have met her or if everything would have turned out the same anyways.

Sometimes, she thought to herself as she approached the small break tent a couple hundred feet from their Jaeger; she couldn’t help but wonder if they would have all met had the Breach not opened.

Terra was sitting at the edge of his chair, fiddling with a can of soda and staring at the radio transmitter. Not many teams had one but most preferred to build a transmitter of their own, so they wouldn’t need to rely on LOCCENT to know what exactly would need repairs once a Jaeger returned from a fight. No one else was in the tent—everyone else was hanging around the foot of Brightcrest, taking a short lunch break before resuming the endless list of work. She took a seat beside him, leaning into his shoulder. He didn’t move.

“You know, we can be great pilots but they can still punish us for insubordination.”

“I know it’s just—“Terra sighed angrily, running his fingers through his still messy hair. “What’s the point of becoming a Ranger if you need permission to so much as move a toe? We signed on to protect people—regardless of whether they can defend themselves or not. I have a duty to protect those who matter to me and those who cannot protect themselves and now I’m being told that a couple of lives are too insignificant to bother saving.”

“That’s not what he meant Terra.” She replied softly. “I agree; we have a duty. However, he isn’t wrong. We cannot risk the safety of others because two rogue Jaegers are defending something they lost long ago.”

“That’s the thing that bothers me the most though,” Terra muttered furiously. “Think about it. If you had the chance to save one piece of where you came from, wouldn’t you do everything to preserve it?”

Aqua smiled sadly. “I was from Spain Terra. Everything from my home is still intact.”

“My home is still in one piece too—but there are so many people here who don’t have a home anymore. Can you blame them for trying to keep whatever is left of those islands safe?”

“No,” Aqua whispered softly. She closed her eyes and pressed her face into his neck. Wrapping an arm around his, she gripped his wrist between both her hands. Almost in immediate response, he placed his other hand above hers. His hands were shaking.

Ventus would have understood, she mused silently. Ventus had nowhere to go once this was over. She could always return home and go back to studying—all the pilots were given funding once they retired and had full rights to study again if they wanted to. Terra could go home and finally decide what he would do. But Ventus and many others would never see their homes again. Her chest constricted painfully and she felt Terra bury his face into her hair in response.

“No I don’t.”

They sat together for hours, listening to the live feed between Zanarkand and LOCCENT until the transmission ended. It was the last they would hear of the Zanarkand ever again.  
  


* * *

 

  
Roxas wasn’t sure how he knew something went wrong in the time that they were gone—it was like a chill that run up his spine, as if someone where trying to startle him. His heart seemed to pound suddenly out of nowhere and his breathing grew a little more erratic. Looking to Axel and Ventus, he felt foreign between the two of them laughing as the rode the elevator down to the main Jaeger floor. It was just in his mind, he thought. Perhaps a mild panic attack—Naminé said those happened to pilots sometimes. He’d get over it.

He never expected to hear the heart wrenched wailing that echoed through the Dome like a lament to a soul long gone. Ventus froze, immediately shoving his small pile of winter clothes into the hands of the nearest person before rushing out of the lift. Roxas hesitated at the edge of the lift doors, his own winter clothes pressed firmly to his chest. Axel didn’t seem happy with Ventus’s stuff crammed into his arms, vaguely motioning for Roxas to follow him off the lift. “Might as well see what the commotion is about.”

They didn’t have to walk far to see what was going on—Ventus had already shoved his way through the slow moving crowd and pummeled straight into a taller girl with blue hair. The boy beside her embraced both of them tightly; no one seemed to want to separate them. Inside their crew’s break tent were three pilots still in uniform—dirty, exhausted, and somber. The girl wailed again, head buried between her arms as the man beside her made no attempt to console her. He seemed to be in shock. A third pilot was standing stiffly against the metal support pole, detached from the situation around him.

It was then that Roxas realized that he recognized the drive suit. Taking a step towards the tent, he could feel the pounding in his chest intensify. Axel followed him out of habit, concerned. “We should stay out of this—“

“I know him,” Roxas interrupted, quickening his pace. “He was one of the pilots who backed us up in my first fight.”

Axel froze. “One of the pilots?”

“Yeah, they were a father son pilot team—“

“Stop—this can’t be good—“

Roxas ignored him. Ventus had detached himself from his friends and drifted over to the tent, sitting across from the girl. Her wailing had been reduced to silent violent sobs and Ventus was doing his best to console her through her arms.

“I know that this is a tragedy for you but we need to make a solid report,” he whispered gently. “I need to know what happened.”

“There was movement in the Breach,” began the man who had stood silently the entire time. “All the Domes got the movement readings but we were the only ones who responded.”

“Where was it headed?” Ventus pressed softly. Aqua had found a place behind him, unable to lift her gaze from his shoulders while she kneaded them methodically. Terra seemed to be preoccupied with flexing his fingers.

“O-Our home,” whispered the girl.

“Yuna, you don’t need to talk,” grumbled her copilot.

“It’s alright Sir Auron,” she responded tiredly. Her voice was hoarse and gritty but she cleaned her face free of tears and faced Ventus as professionally as she could with red eyes. “We were the only Jaegers commissioned for the Hawaiian Islands. No one wanted to fund us because we were more at risk to die from tsunami than an actual attack so it was a private effort. Everyone was evacuated from our islands when the tsunamis began to hit but we hopped from Dome to Dome for repairs so we could keep fighting.”

She straightened up and exhaled lowly. For an instant, Roxas could almost see what she was behind her tears. She was kind but dutiful; they had to be. Everyone found a different way to deal with their situation. Some ran and other buried it under a sense of duty. She was just one of them.

“We didn’t have much left to fight for but we couldn’t just leave—even if it was just the tip of a volcano or a drowned tree we couldn’t abandon our home. So we stayed to fight even though Zanarkand wasn’t completely repaired yet and we—“Her voice caught in her throat and she froze.

“We called for backup and no one came,” Auron completed. “Orders were given to keep all Jaegers on mainland unless situation became dangerous to neighboring countries. Not even the country that invaded us to claim it theirs backed us up. They disowned us.”

Roxas’s heart sank. “How could they do that?”

“Orders are orders,” Auron answered with a shrug. “If they say to chop off your arm, you’re expected to chop it off. They don’t pay you to ask questions, they pay you to put yourself on the frontline because you can’t afford to live any other way. Not unless you’re off to build that damn wall.”

“A-Anyways,” Yuna continued shakily, hands wringing together. “We called for backup but when no one responded, we had to deal with the situation ourselves. The cleanup crew arrived to clear up the Kaiju blue b-but—“

“But I was a damned idiot and went in for a suicide kill,” finished Jecht painfully. His drive suit was half off and for the first time, Roxas noticed he had a large bottle of alcohol in hand. Jecht smiled darkly, waving his hands wildly and laughing. Roxas cringed under the laugh—it sounded so hollow and dark, nothing compared to Jecht’s first impression.

“How big was the Kaiju—“

“We called it Sin—it was a massive Category Four.” Aqua answered guiltily. “Apparently it’s still at least half alive so they’ve taken what they can to any available labs.”

“Sin, hah!” Jecht cackled with laughter. “What a joke. It’s supposed to be a sin to commit suicide but here I went on a suicide mission, trying to save my damn islands and what happens? My son gets ripped out of the drift and I lose the Jaeger; how ironic.”

His heart seemed to stop. Slowly sinking into a chair, Roxas struggled to find his mental footing in the real world. “W-what?”

“You heard me son—I tried to go kamikaze and winded up getting my son killed instead.”

“Sir Jecht it wasn’t your fault,” Yuna insisted, her voice barely above a whisper and already cracking. “Tidus knew what he was doing—“

“So did I,” Jecht answered seriously. “But look where that got me.”

Axel leaned down towards Roxas. “You need to breathe,” he murmured.

“I-I am,” Roxas mumbled feebly.

“No you aren’t—you’re starting to have a panic attack. We need to go.”

“I-I’m fine—“

“Roxas—“

“I’ll be fine Axel—“

“Roxas I’m serious, you look really pale and you’re breathing really hard.”

“Get off my case—“

“I really think you should go lie down—“

“Cut it out Xion.”

“…I’m not Xion.”

That was it. That was the final snap it took to break him. Axel’s befuddled and concerned expression looking down at him, his green eyes struggling to find something physically wrong with him externally. It was his _green_ eyes that were trying to find the source of his panic, not Xion’s sky blue eyes. Xion was not his pilot anymore. Xion was still in a coma because he made a decision that would ultimately and always affect their lives forever. She may never wake up and if she did, she may never be the same.

It was entirely his fault.

**Author's Note:**

> *It was mentioned that Roxas suffers from motion sickness. Roxas experiences motion sickness like a person who has car sickness as a passenger but doesn’t experience it when driving. That being said, he isn’t particularly fond of heights but doesn’t have a phobia. Just doesn’t like the height or the feeling of sudden unexpected movement.


End file.
